Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Addresses The Media: Highlights

New Delhi: Nitish Kumar, who took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the sixth time on July 27 morning - 14 hours after he resigned from that position - addressed the media today for the first time since the big move. He ended his two-year-old alliance with Lalu Yadav and the Congress, and is back with the BJP.
 

Here are the highlights of Nitish Kumar's press conference:

• After resigning I had said what I had to. After that a new government was formed, and a trust vote was conducted.
• Yesterday I had a lot of meetings and work. And that's why I am briefing you today.
• We did not have any other option. I tried my best to run the Grand Alliance government.
• Many reports kept coming in, but I did not pay attention to those comments as the RJD went against the coalition's dharma.
• I had always said the law should take its own course and it did. But during that time when comments even against me were made Lalu-ji never came out against them. But I ignored it. From our side no one said anything against the supreme leader of the RJD.
• We tolerated everything, and accepted there can be many difficulties in running a coalition government. When we announced prohibition, we took a lot of feedback and tightened enforcement of prohibition.
• Amid all these, we kept working and fulfilled our coalition dharma. We believed that since it was a Grand Alliance we should take some things in our stride.
• But we started getting reports about corruption. How could we have stayed silent then? We have a strong stand against corruption, and that's why it turned into a difficult situation.
• The message that came from the other side was strong. I have an emotional attachment to politics.
• I spoke to Lalu-ji several times and told him he should come clean, clarify and respond to the allegations.
• What has been going on in the media for the last three weeks put a question mark on me as well. But our entire party agreed that the principles we have, we shouldn't abandon them.
• To say you are being framed may be good enough for supporters, but for people - you need to explain properly to them.
• Tejashwi (Yadav) asked me what he should say. I told him, how can I say? I don't even understand them. All I wanted was he should explain the charges against him.
• I wasn't talking about technical or legal matters - only factual. It appeared as if they were not in a position to clarify. On 26 (July) the RJD had a meeting, and what came out was the same old thing. So we had to take a decision.
• That was when I realised I could not run the government anymore. My legislative party also supported my call.
• I spoke to Lalu-ji and CP Joshi and told them I was resigning. Then I went to present my resignation letter to the governor. It was after that the BJP's proposal came. They said we are with you, and even the PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) tweeted.
• I kept the proposal in front of the legislative party. They endorsed the tie-up with the BJP.