Congress president's 'Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram' jibe after Nitish Kumar's exit
What's the story
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigned on Sunday and rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), ending the Mahagathbandhan rule in the state.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge weighed in on the situation, stating, "There are many people in the country like 'Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram'."
He said the Congress was aware of Kumar's intention but chose to remain silent to protect the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc's interest.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Kumar's resignation ended the 18-month ruling coalition with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.
In Bihar, the RJD, BJP, and Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JDU) are the three major parties, and when two parties come together before an election, their chances of winning are high.
The Mahagathbandhan government comprised 159 MLAs. Kumar's defection leaves the coalition short of eight MLAs to form the next government since the halfway mark is 122 seats.
Kharge's statement
Lalu, Tejashwi's predictions came true: Kharge
Kharge revealed that Lalu and his son, Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, had already informed him about Kumar's possible departure.
"Earlier, he and I were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu Ji and Tejashwi, they also said that Nitish was going.
"If he wanted to stay, he would have stayed, but he wants to go," he said.
Notably, the upheaval in Bihar politics was sparked by a social media post from Lalu's daughter, Rohini Acharya, criticizing JD(U)'s shifting ideology.
BJP's revelation
Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Sinha Bihar deputy CM faces: BJP
Meanwhile, hours after Kumar's resignation, BJP's National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the NDA would form the government in the state with the JD(U).
He said all MLAs unanimously passed the proposal in this regard in the legislative party meeting for the welfare of the people in the state.
Separately, BJP leader and former deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad said Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha will be the party's faces for the deputy CM position.
RJD possible pitch
RJD projects Tejashwi in full-page advertisement
In response to the ongoing political drama, RJD released a full-page advertisement in major newspapers featuring Tejashwi.
The ad praised him for various development initiatives, such as providing over 4,00,000 government jobs and boosting the state's tourism potential.
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the RJD holds 79 seats as the single largest party, followed by the BJP with 78, JD(U) (45), and Congress (19), among others.
Discord
JD(U)-RJD discord showed up last week
Signs of rift between the JD(U) and the RJD started to show last week after former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur was conferred with Bharat Ratna by the central government.
On Tuesday, Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision, later taking a dig at "dynasty politics," possibly referring to the RJD leader Lalu's family.
The remark was criticized by Acharya in now-deleted tweets.
Kumar and Tejashwi were also seen ignoring each other on Republic Day.
History
Kumar not new to switching allies
Kumar, who has earned the nickname "Paltu Ram" for constantly changing alliance partners, has been swapping sides since 2013.
That year, Kumar ended the JD(U)'s 17-year alliance with the BJP after disagreeing with the NDA over Modi's selection as PM candidate.
He then joined forces with the RJD and Congress to establish Bihar's grand alliance.
Two years later, he resigned as CM but was reinstated with the BJP's backing. In 2022, Kumar announced that the JD(U)-BJP alliance was over.