Shah on Nitish's Opposition Unification Talks: "Itna Jhooth Bolne Vala…"; He Claims BJP's Doors Are Always Closed to Him
Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, came under sharp criticism from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday for switching allegiances and declaring that no future entrance into the BJP-led NDA was possible.
Shah claimed that the JD(U) leader had "betrayed" the BJP because of his "Prime Ministerial aspirations" while speaking to a gathering of farmers and labourers in Patna hours after a rally in the West Champaran district.
In reference to the breakup in 2013, Shah stated, "Nitish babu had previously deserted us, but we placed faith in him again in 2017." We obtained more places than he did JD(U) Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran for re-election as prime minister in both the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections held a year later.
"Nitish Babu is currently waiting for Lalu Prasad at his front entrance, or dagar par. He will eventually be the one to endure vishwasghaat (betrayal). However, Nitish Babu, you will no longer be allowed to join the NDA, declared the top BJP official.
Itna jhooth bolne wala and Itna vishwasghat karne wala are two adjectives Shah used to describe a guy who spreads lies with such blatant deceit. In 2013, in preparation for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Nitish Kumar left the NDA. He joined Mahagathbandhan partners Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress in 2015, and the coalition won the Bihar Assembly elections. In 2017, two years after the Mahagathbandhan coalition was broken, Kumar joined the BJP. JD(U) ran an alliance campaign in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 Bihar Assembly elections. Kumar left the BJP in 2022 and joined Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the driver's seat for yet another term in office following the 2024 elections, Shah predicted that the BJP will "achieve dominance on its own" in the state in the 2025 assembly elections.
He had earlier spoken at a gathering in the West Champaran district of Lauria, falling BJP stronghold Balmiki Nagar Lok Sabha district, which was transferred to the JD(U) in 2019 as part of seat-sharing agreements.
Shah also frequently brought up rumours that Kumar and Lalu Prasad had made a "clandestine arrangement" whereby the latter's younger son and heir apparent would take over as chief minister.
The BJP official implied reference to Upendra Kushwaha's recent resignation when he said, "This has led to a lot of confusion in the JD(U) itself."
"People have also begun to harbour doubts. If Kumar has reached such an agreement, he ought to disclose the day on which he plans to delegate authority to his assistant." Nitish Babu, I dare you to explain. the Bihar people the time frame by which he intends to implement the jungle raj, which he had promised to eradicate, "said Shah.
The Union Home Minister, who is also in charge of cooperative affairs, asserted that the Modi administration has provided Bihar with far more aid than the Congress-led UPA administration, during which Lalu Prasad served as a minister.
Additionally, he claimed that "many projects and programmes have been authorised for Bihar, but these have been stalled by Nitish Babu, who cannot abide the BJP receiving credit, even where it is due."
Shah ridiculed the Bihar chief minister for "sitting in the arms of Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Prasad" and compared their coalition to "attempts at mixing oil with water." "Oil and water cannot mix. RJD is analogous to oil rising to the top, and JD(U) is analogous to water disappearing beneath ", said Shah, making a subliminal allusion to concerns that the dominant new ally was eclipsing the chief minister's party.