Patna: Amid speculation within NDA circles over the next chief ministerial face following Nitish Kumar taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member, RJD national working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday said the issue was not a priority for the people.“Who will be the next CM is not the issue. It does not make any difference. The reality is that Bihar has become ‘badhaal’ (in a very bad shape), and they (the NDA govt) have destroyed it,” Tejashwi told reporters on the sidelines of a party conference of minority communities here.Commenting on Nitish’s exit from the CM’s post, he alleged that the decision was driven by the BJP. “Internally, it was already decided by them. Nitish has no role in it. He has been shifted to Delhi despite his unwillingness. Whoever becomes CM will not have the people’s mandate,” he said.Tejashwi further alleged that senior JD(U) leaders were “under fear of the CBI and ED or under pressure of inducement” and had “trapped Nitish”. However, he declined to comment on whether the BJP would overshadow the JD(U), saying, “It is JD(U)’s internal matter.”On Nitish’s elevation to the Rajya Sabha, Tejashwi said his party had anticipated the move. “We have been saying from the beginning that they (BJP) would not allow Nitish to continue as CM. It was their thinking during the 2025 assembly elections, but they did not have the courage to say it then,” he said.Criticising the state govt’s performance, Tejashwi said governance had deteriorated across sectors. “Talk about law and order, farmers’ issues, healthcare or education—Bihar is suffering on all fronts,” he said.He also alleged inaction under the “double-engine govt,” citing crop losses due to hailstorms, a recent murder in Araria, and uncertainty over TRE-4.“A govt is elected for five years, but it keeps changing. The one formed just five months ago is being changed again. How many times will it change?” he asked.
