On 68th birthday of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today, wishes poured in from leaders across political spectrum. In his birthday wish for the JD(U) national president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded his pro-governance leadership approach.
"Greetings to my friend and Bihar's hardworking Chief Minister, @NitishKumar Ji. Nitish Ji's persistence ensured Bihar emerged out of the shadows of years of misrule. His pro-people governance has touched the lives of many. I pray for Nitish Ji's long and healthy life," PM Modi tweeted on Friday.
The Bihar Chief Minister is known for his simplicity and honesty. During his tenure as the chief minister of Bihar, the JD-U stalwart has been credited with re-laying roads that had virtually ceased to exist, building of bridges, completing long-delayed infrastructure projects, appointing teachers and ensuring that doctors attended health centres. He also cracked down on criminals who had strong links to politics and speedy trials were ordered.
Union Ministers Suresh Prabhu, Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal and BJP President Amit Shah tweeted wishes for the popular leader.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also wished, Nitish "Chacha ji" (Uncle). He wished for his good health and long life.
Nitish Kumar stepped into politics in 1971 as a member of Ram Manohar Lohia's youth wing called Samjawadi Yuwajan Sabha. As an active participant in the Jayaprakash Narayan's movement or JP movement between 1974 and 1977, he got involved in politics and few years later, was elected to the Bihar assembly for the in 1985.
He became president of the Yuva Lok Dal in 1987 and secretary general of Janata Dal two years later. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1989 and went on to win five parliamentary elections from Bihar.
Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar for the first time in 2000 but lasted only for a week. He became 31st Chief Minister of Bihar in 2005 and has secured the place since then, with Jitan Ram Manjhi taking up the post from May 2014 to February 2015.
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