Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 7 : Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Saturday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for allegedly weakening the Janata Dal (United) and taking control of Bihar.
The remarks come after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filed a nomination for Rajya Sabha on Thursday, signalling the end of his record-breaking tenure as Chief Minister.
Referring to the political weakening of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Akali Dal in Punjab, Rai implied that the BJP is following a similar pattern in Bihar. He further accused the JD(U) of becoming a "stooge of the BJP."
"The BJP is completely taking control in Bihar. Just as they weakened Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, finished off the Akali Dal in Punjab. In the same way, here (in Bihar) too, they started weakening JDU right from the assembly elections, and now JDU has completely turned into a stooge of the BJP," the Congress President told ANI.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar extended his support and guidance to the new government and the party towards the development of the state in a party meeting on Friday.
"I am going to the Rajya Sabha. There won't be a problem for you all. I will remain in Bihar as well; all work will continue. Work hard for the development of Bihar. I will keep an eye on everything; do not worry," Kumar said.
After the meeting, the party confirmed that Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar will be joining the Janata Dal (United) on Sunday, March 8.
While Nishant has lived a low-profile life as a software engineer (BIT Mesra alumnus), there is intense speculation that he may be appointed as a Deputy Chief Minister in a new NDA government, or potentially take a leadership role within the party to prevent a vacuum as Nitish moves to Delhi.
For over two decades, Nitish Kumar was the face of "anti-family" politics in Bihar, often using it as a primary weapon against the RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav. Nishant himself has historically avoided the spotlight, once famously stating he had "no interest in politics." However, with Nitish's health under scrutiny and the JD(U) facing a post-Nitish era, the "political necessity" seems to have outweighed past stances.