Nitish Kumar on Wednesday resigned as Bihar chief minister, hours after ally Lalu Prasad ruled out resignation of his son Tejashwi Yadav, who has been charged by the CBI in a corruption case.
Nitish took the surprise decision at a meeting of party MLAs at his residence. Immediately after the meeting, Nitish Kumar drove down to meet Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi at the Raj Bhavan and handed over his resignation. “It’s not possible to work in such circumstances. I tried to save Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) to the best of my abilities. Had talks with both Lalu and Tejashwi,” Nitish Kumar told reporters after resignation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying in doing so he has joined the fight against corruption. Immediately after Kumar announced his resignation, Modi tweeted: “Congratulations! Mr Nitish Kumar for joining the fight against corruption.” “1.25 crore people are welcoming and supporting his honesty,” he said in a series of tweets.
“For the bright future of the country, and especially Bihar, it is the need of the hour to rise above political differences and join the fight against corruption,” Modi said. Kumar today resigned as chief minister, citing differences with ally RJD over corruption charges against Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad.
