Tag: Bihar CM

  • Nitish Kumar Takes Oath As Bihar Chief Minister For Record 9th Time

    Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar Chief Minister for a ninth time, rejoining the NDA with the BJP after resigning from the Grand Alliance government due to internal issues.

  • Nitish Kumar: Running strong despite twists and turns

    By Agencies

    The longest-serving chief minister of any Hindi- speaking state, Nitish Kumar seems to have acquired an aura of indispensability when it comes to the highest seat of power in Bihar.

    A crafty politician, he kept the BJP guessing till the eleventh hour before severing ties with the ally, following “unanimous sentiments” in his JD(U) that it was to be blamed for the party’s dwindling fortunes.

    Kumar then clinched a new deal in no time with the opposition which, bereft of power and coherence, welcomed him with open arms.

    In a political career spanning four decades, Kumar, 71, has kept at bay taints of corruption, nepotism and misgovernance, leaving critics with little except “opportunism” as a stick to be beaten with.

    Born on March 1, 1951 in Bakhtiyarpur, a nondescript town on the outskirts of Patna, to an Ayurvedic practitioner-cum-freedom fighter father, Kumar is an electrical engineer by training.

    During his days at the Bihar Engineering College, now known as NIT, Patna, he became active in student politics and got associated with the ‘JP movement’, which introduced him to many of his future associates, including Lalu Prasad and Sushil Kumar Modi.

    His first electoral success came in the 1985 assembly elections, which the Congress swept though he managed to win the Harnaut seat for Lok Dal.

    Five years later, he moved to Delhi as an MP from the now- abolished seat of Barh.

    ALSO READ | Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM, Tejashwi his deputy

    After another half a decade, when the Mandal wave was at its peak and Prasad was reaping its dividends, Kumar sided with George Fernandes to float the Samata Party, which would later morph into the JD(U) and share power with BJP at the Centre and, 2005 onwards, in the state.

    His first five years as chief minister are recalled with admiration even by critics, marked by vast improvements in restoration of law and order in a state that made headlines for massacres by rivalling militias and kidnappings for ransom.

    A product of the Mandal churn, the Kurmi leader also realised that he did not have the advantage of belonging to a populous caste group and created sub-quotas among OBCs and Dalits, who were called ‘Ati Pichhda’ (EBC) and Mahadalits, which was resented by the dominant Yadavs and Dusadhs (supporters of Ram Vilas Paswan).

    He also gave patronage to “Pasmanda” Muslims which, besides his ability to keep Hindutva vigilantes in check, endeared him to the minority community despite an old alliance with the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Nitish was uncomfortable with BJP, claims Prashan Kishor

    Kumar brought in measures like free bicycles and school uniforms for school-going girls, which won him much adulation and the exuberant public mood saw him returning to power in 2010, leading the JD(U)-BJP coalition with a landslide victory in assembly polls.

    The period, however, also saw the end of the “Atal-Advani era” in BJP and Kumar ended up locking horns with Narendra Modi, then his Gujarat counterpart whom he never allowed to campaign in Bihar, and snapped ties with the saffron party in 2013.

    He survived in power as the JD(U) was formidably placed in the assembly, but stepped down in 2014, owning moral responsibility for the party’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, wherein it returned with a dismal tally of just two seats.

    In less than a year, he was back as chief minister, elbowing out his rebellious protege Jitan Ram Manjhi with ample support from the RJD and the Congress and came to be seen, nationally, as a potential challenger to the Modi juggernaut.

    The Grand Alliance that came into being with JD(U), Congress and RJD coming together, won the 2015 assembly polls handsomely, but came apart in just two years.

    ALSO READ | ‘Sushasan Babu’ or ‘Paltu Ram’? Meet Nitish Kumar, master of the art of changing governments

    Kumar returned to the NDA in 2017, hoping to get some traction by virtue of taking a stand against corruption taint on his then deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

    His tie-up with the BJP, now in power at the Centre with a brute majority, proved to be electorally successful though his own stature seemed to diminish, as evident from the 2020 assembly poll results in which the JD(U) could win under 45 seats in the 243-strong House.

    The BJP’s aggressive style, seeking to vanquish adversaries and gobble up allies, appears to have got the goat of Kumar, who now seems to have decided that he is better off with his former allies who showed limited ambition.

    Whether common ground with his new allies with regard to communalism and social justice will be strong enough a glue to hold the coalition together will be known in the days to come.

    Cynics may view the move as a survival tactic on his part, but Kumar’s parting ways with the BJP has held out the promise of infusing fresh vigour in the dispirited opposition in the country.

    The longest-serving chief minister of any Hindi- speaking state, Nitish Kumar seems to have acquired an aura of indispensability when it comes to the highest seat of power in Bihar.

    A crafty politician, he kept the BJP guessing till the eleventh hour before severing ties with the ally, following “unanimous sentiments” in his JD(U) that it was to be blamed for the party’s dwindling fortunes.

    Kumar then clinched a new deal in no time with the opposition which, bereft of power and coherence, welcomed him with open arms.

    In a political career spanning four decades, Kumar, 71, has kept at bay taints of corruption, nepotism and misgovernance, leaving critics with little except “opportunism” as a stick to be beaten with.

    Born on March 1, 1951 in Bakhtiyarpur, a nondescript town on the outskirts of Patna, to an Ayurvedic practitioner-cum-freedom fighter father, Kumar is an electrical engineer by training.

    During his days at the Bihar Engineering College, now known as NIT, Patna, he became active in student politics and got associated with the ‘JP movement’, which introduced him to many of his future associates, including Lalu Prasad and Sushil Kumar Modi.

    His first electoral success came in the 1985 assembly elections, which the Congress swept though he managed to win the Harnaut seat for Lok Dal.

    Five years later, he moved to Delhi as an MP from the now- abolished seat of Barh.

    ALSO READ | Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM, Tejashwi his deputy

    After another half a decade, when the Mandal wave was at its peak and Prasad was reaping its dividends, Kumar sided with George Fernandes to float the Samata Party, which would later morph into the JD(U) and share power with BJP at the Centre and, 2005 onwards, in the state.

    His first five years as chief minister are recalled with admiration even by critics, marked by vast improvements in restoration of law and order in a state that made headlines for massacres by rivalling militias and kidnappings for ransom.

    A product of the Mandal churn, the Kurmi leader also realised that he did not have the advantage of belonging to a populous caste group and created sub-quotas among OBCs and Dalits, who were called ‘Ati Pichhda’ (EBC) and Mahadalits, which was resented by the dominant Yadavs and Dusadhs (supporters of Ram Vilas Paswan).

    He also gave patronage to “Pasmanda” Muslims which, besides his ability to keep Hindutva vigilantes in check, endeared him to the minority community despite an old alliance with the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Nitish was uncomfortable with BJP, claims Prashan Kishor

    Kumar brought in measures like free bicycles and school uniforms for school-going girls, which won him much adulation and the exuberant public mood saw him returning to power in 2010, leading the JD(U)-BJP coalition with a landslide victory in assembly polls.

    The period, however, also saw the end of the “Atal-Advani era” in BJP and Kumar ended up locking horns with Narendra Modi, then his Gujarat counterpart whom he never allowed to campaign in Bihar, and snapped ties with the saffron party in 2013.

    He survived in power as the JD(U) was formidably placed in the assembly, but stepped down in 2014, owning moral responsibility for the party’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, wherein it returned with a dismal tally of just two seats.

    In less than a year, he was back as chief minister, elbowing out his rebellious protege Jitan Ram Manjhi with ample support from the RJD and the Congress and came to be seen, nationally, as a potential challenger to the Modi juggernaut.

    The Grand Alliance that came into being with JD(U), Congress and RJD coming together, won the 2015 assembly polls handsomely, but came apart in just two years.

    ALSO READ | ‘Sushasan Babu’ or ‘Paltu Ram’? Meet Nitish Kumar, master of the art of changing governments

    Kumar returned to the NDA in 2017, hoping to get some traction by virtue of taking a stand against corruption taint on his then deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

    His tie-up with the BJP, now in power at the Centre with a brute majority, proved to be electorally successful though his own stature seemed to diminish, as evident from the 2020 assembly poll results in which the JD(U) could win under 45 seats in the 243-strong House.

    The BJP’s aggressive style, seeking to vanquish adversaries and gobble up allies, appears to have got the goat of Kumar, who now seems to have decided that he is better off with his former allies who showed limited ambition.

    Whether common ground with his new allies with regard to communalism and social justice will be strong enough a glue to hold the coalition together will be known in the days to come.

    Cynics may view the move as a survival tactic on his part, but Kumar’s parting ways with the BJP has held out the promise of infusing fresh vigour in the dispirited opposition in the country.

  • CBI registers fresh case against Lalu Prasad Yadav in graft case, searches multiple places 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a fresh case against former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on the charge of taking land from aspirants in return for jobs in the railway, officials said on Friday.

    The probe agency has started searches at 17 locations in Delhi and Bihar, they said.

    The alleged land-for-jobs scam pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA government, officials said.

  • Bihar CM Nitish Kumar urges people to avoid confrontation during festivals

    Express News Service

    PATNA: A day after Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi demanded a ban on religious processions across the country, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said the people should avoid confrontation during prayers.

    Talking to the media on the sidelines of his weekly Janata Darbar, Nitish said, “Prayers have nothing to do with violence and each community must avoid confrontation during festivals. People from different communities have their own way of worshiping.”

    Nitish’s remark came at a time when different parts of the country witnessed violent clashes between two rival communities during Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. However, no major incidents of communal clashes were reported from any part of Bihar.

    Answering the queries, the chief minister said the Bihar government has always maintained strict surveillance during such festivals and foiled attempts to vitiate the atmosphere. “We have given clear instructions to the authorities concerned to keep a close watch on those trying to disturb communal harmony,” he added.

    Launching a veiled attack on principal opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nitish said, “There is no place for communal disturbances in Bihar. Investigations take place properly. Everyone is aware of the situation in the state before 2006.

    Those who keep questioning us should introspect themselves.” Earlier, former chief minister and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi had urged the Prime Minister to ensure ban on all religious processions across the country to maintain communal harmony. He was referred to recent communal clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri.

    In a tweet, Manjhi said, “Time has come when all kinds of religious processions should be banned. The unity and integrity of the country seems to be in danger due to religious processions.”

  • Heard about the wedding, congrats nonetheless: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to Tejashwi Yadav

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday congratulated his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav upon the latter’s marriage, subtly expressing disappointment over not being informed, let alone being invited.

    In a short but carefully worded congratulatory statement, Kumar stressed the fact that he heard about the wedding of Yadav, now the leader of the opposition, in “news media”.

    Yadav, who tied the knot in Delhi, is the younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Kumar’s arch rival.

    Prasad and Kumar have known each other since the JP movement of 1974 when both had cut their political teeth as student leaders.

    Fierce political rivalry notwithstanding, the two have often been to each other’s place on special occasions.

    People here still remember the warm embrace in which they held each other when Kumar attended the wedding of Prasad’s elder son three and a half years ago.

  • Bihar CM NItish Kumar writes special birthday wish for PM Modi on whiteboard

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday, amid dissension on some issues between BJP and the JD-U, had a special birthday wish for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Kumar first wished PM Modi through his official Twitter handle and later wrote the birthday wish to the prime minister on a whiteboard. The whiteboard was placed near the venue, where the mega vaccination drive was inaugurated by him.

    माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी को जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। उनके स्वस्थ एवं दीर्घायु जीवन की कामना करता हूं।@narendramodi Ji
    — Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) September 17, 2021
    Nitish Kumar wrote the special birthday wish in Hindi, conveying a message about his emerging political chemistry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “The special mega one-day vaccination with a target of administering jabs to nearly 30 lakh of people on the occasion of the PM’s birthday has been launched. This is how the Bihar is wishing to the PM”, Nitish Kumar told the media.

    Be recalled, the PM Modi in March this year on the birthday of CM Nitish Kumar had also given a special wish through a tweet, describing him( Nitish Kumar) as one of his (PM) friends and Bihar’s hardworking Chief Minister.

    “Nitish Kumar Ji’s persistence ensured Bihar emerged out of the shadows of years of misrule. His people governance has touched the lives of many. I pray for Nitish Ji’s long and healthy life”, the PM had tweeted after mentioning Nitish Kumar as a friend in the same tweet.

    The CM’s birthday wish to the PM on Friday stirred the state politics and interpretations started coming out from political experts amid the growing dissension between the BJP and the JD-U over some issues including the Caste Census.

    “The CM has returned the birthday wish he was given by the PM in March this year in which the PM had described him as a ‘ friend’, by writing a birthday wish to the PM on a whiteboard. Through this act, Nitish Kumar has exhibited growing political bonhomie between him and the PM”, Arun Kumar Pandey, a political expert said.

    Earlier, Nitish Kumar in 2017, when the state was under the governance of the Grand Alliance, during the Prakash Parv, had filled the colour in a white lotus on a white canvas. After which, there was a tremendous flutter in the politics of Bihar and later he switched from the Grand Alliance to be with the BJP.

    The picture showing Nitish Kumar writing a birthday wish to the PM on Friday went viral speculating that Nitish Kumar has given a clear-cut message to the loudmouth leaders of JDU-U, BJP and other allies to shun passing unwarranted statements against each other.

    In recent times, many leaders of both BJP and the JDU had indulged in a tug of war over some petty issues, giving an impression that everything in the NDA was not well. The JDU had expressed its stand contrary to the BJP on the issues of the Caste Census and the new population policy.

    A couple of days ago, the leaders of BJP and JDU were at loggerheads against each other on the issue of illegal infiltrators in Bihar’s Seemanchal areas. Meanwhile, the leaders of BJP and the NDA allies including the LJP and the VIP expressed their birthday wishes in different ways.

    BJP leader Arjun Sahani in Darbhanga celebrated the PM birthday on 71 boats with 71 kg of ladoos and 71 ponds cake in flood-affected Darbhanga district.

    Mukesh Sahni-the VIP chief as an ally of BJP in NDA, offered fodder to71000 fishes in the Ganges on the occasion of PM Modi’s birthday while the LJP served foods to the poor people at the party office.

    The Bihar BJP has started a 20-day long celebration by organising a series of activities across the state. A photo exhibition was put up on the life of the PM from his childhood to the time of becoming the PM. A BJP leader offered worship to the portrait in which Modi was painted as Lord Vishwakarma.

    Meanwhile, till the time of reporting, Bihar has admitted jabs to more than 23 lakh of people in a single and final figure of vaccinated people were collected. In total for the first time, the NDA allies exhibited their unity through a series of activities organised to give birthday wishes to the PM Modi.

  • Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announces COVID-19 unlock norms

    By ANI

    PATNA: In view of the improvement in the COVID-19 situation, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said that shops, malls, religious places will open normally and cinema halls at 50 per cent capacity.

    Taking to Twitter, Bihar Chief Minister said, “The status of COVID-19 was reviewed. In view of the improvement in the situation of corona infection, all shops, establishments, shopping malls, parks, gardens and religious places will be able to open normally.”

    He also said that with the permission of the district administration and with all the required precautions all types of social, political, entertainment, sports, cultural and religious events can be organised.

    “All universities, colleges, technical educational institutions and schools (from class I to XII) as well as coaching institutes will also open normally. The examinations can be conducted by the universities, colleges, schools of the state,” said the Chief Minister.

    Meanwhile, cinema halls, clubs, gyms, swimming pools, restaurants and eateries (with visitors) will be able to open with 50 per cent capacity.

    He further urged people to take Bihar to take precautions.

    “But in view of the possibility of the third wave, it is necessary for all of us to take precautions by following appropriate COVID-19 behaviour,” he added.

    Complete lockdown in the state was imposed on May 5 after the state witnessed a surge in COVID infections.

    Bihar, one of the worst-hit states in the country, has been reporting a decline in daily COVID-19 cases.

    As per the state health ministry, Bihar currently has 101 active COVID-19 cases. 

  • Educating women is my preferred way to control population: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday dug in his heels on the issue of population control, making it clear that he preferred to control demographic explosion by educating and empowering women.

    The assertion of Kumar, who is the de facto leader of the JD(U), an NDA ally, assumes significance in the wake of a clamour for a law by the BJP which is pushing for a population control policy in some of the states ruled by it like Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

    “Our experience in Bihar speaks for itself. There has been a notable rise in the proportion of women who complete high school or pursue higher studies. There has been a corresponding decline in fertility rate,” he told reporters here.

    He was replying to queries from journalists after addressing a function where he inaugurated 989 health projects with a total value of Rs 2705.35 crore.

    “A woman who is educated feels empowered to take decisions. We had observed long ago that in families where the wife has studied beyond high school, the fertility rate was healthier. We have therefore given a fillip to educating the girl child. This is going to be our way forward. I do not wish to be drawn into what other states are doing,” replied Kumar.

    The chief minister’s stand comes less than a month after a demand by some BJP legislators in the assembly that recommendations of the Karunakaran Committee, which favoured debarring those with more than two children from contesting municipal and panchayat polls, be implemented in Bihar.

    Earlier, a categorical demand from state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal that Bihar too should have a population control law, shortly after the chief minister had come out with his different take on the issue, had exposed the ideological differences between the BJP and the JD(U).

    Although Kumar, whose party was earlier known as the Samata Party, has been a BJP ally for close to three decades, he has maintained an ideologically distinct position on the saffron party’s pet issues like Ayodhya, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code.

    Recently, his stance on population law, caste census and Pegasus controversy was viewed with some consternation in the BJP camp.

    The JD(U) maintains that this has nothing to do with the close ties it shares with the BJP.

    Kumar’s detractors, however, claim otherwise.

    LJP leader Chirag Paswan, who has of late centred his politics around attacks on the Bihar CM, recently claimed that Kumar was singing a tune different from the BJP since he had plans to push the state towards a mid-term poll.

    The LJP leader, who has been receiving some sympathy from the opposition camp despite his being non-committal on severing ties with the BJP, has sought to rake up the old rivalry between Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the JD(U) leader’s former Gujarat counterpart.

    He has claimed that by rubbishing demands for a population law, forcefully calling for caste census and advocating an inquiry into allegations of phone-tapping, Kumar has been demonstrating his “Prime Ministerial ambitions.”

    However, after Tuesday’s function, the Bihar chief minister ducked queries about the meeting in Delhi where opposition leaders are understood to have chalked out a strategy to take on the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    “I have nothing to do with it,” was the curt reply of the JD(U) leader, who was once seen as a “secular alternative” to Modi.

  • Options open on state-specific caste census if Centre doesn’t yield: Nitish Kumar

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the demand for caste-based census was very much alive despite the Centre’s disinclination. He added he would keep the “option open” for a state-specific exercise on caste census if the Centre refuses to budge.“Our party has adopted a resolution supporting caste census in the country,” Kumar said, adding he plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to reconsider his position on the matter.

    Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav had on July 30 during his meeting with Kumar in the Assembly, suggested that the state government conduct caste census from its own resources if the Centre refuses to yield.“Caste census is in the interest of all. But if someone is saying that there will be tension in the society due to caste census, then, I think, this is wrong. It will be beneficial for most works of developments,” Kumar said.

    But what if the Centre refuses to budge? “We keep our option open,” Kumar said. “Nitish Kumar’s decisions on the caste census, the population policy and demand for probe into the Pegasus scandal are political messages against the BJP’s political dominance both in the state and the Centre. His meeting with Chautala as also the outreach to Tejashwi and others from the Opposition in Bihar on caste census are messages to the BJP ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” political experts opined.

  • Bihar CM Nitish Kumar breaks ranks, is first NDA ally to join Pegasus probe chorus

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday became the first NDA ally to echo the Opposition demand for a probe into the sensational Pegasus snoopgate and discussion in Parliamant. “Going by what we are hearing from various sources, including the media, I think the matter should be thoroughly probed. All this happening due to misuse of new technology,” Kumar said.

    At a time when the BJP is stonewalling a Parliament debate on Pegasus, saying IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has already made his statement in both Houses, Kumar’s divergent position has set the cat among the pigeons. The Opposition wants the presence of either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union home minister Amit Shah during the debate.

    Echoing the Opposition demand, Kumar said since the issue has been raised for so long, it should be discussed. As the government feels it has nothing to add beyond the statement made by the minister, “those who have anything concrete on snooping must share it with the government. I am sure it will be addressed,” he added. Kumar also sought action against those who indulged in illegal snooping.

    In recent weeks, Kumar has not aligned himself with the NDA on important issues like caste census. Even the appointment of Munger MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh as JD(U) president was seen as an attempt to nibble into the BJP’s core traditional Bhumihar vote bank in Bihar.

    His recent meeting with (Indian national Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala, who is a BJP foe in Haryana, had a loaded political message, though Kumar claimed it was personal. “I have an old personal relation with Chautalaji,” he said. An INLD splinter headed by Chautala’s estranged grandson Dushyant Chautala is currently sharing power with the BJP in Haryana.  

    JD(U) delegation meets Amit Shah on caste census

    Keeping up pressure on the Centre to review its position on caste census, a delegation of Janata Dal (United) MPs led by new party president Lalan Singh met Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday. The JD(U) had passed a resolution in support of caste headcount of population, during its national executive meeting on Saturday. The Centre had recently reiterated its policy of not doing caste-based enumeration