New Delhi: After days of uncertainty, Nitish Kumar broke ties with the Opposition INDIA alliance and has again joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking his fifth flip-flop in a decade.
Nitish Kumar said that his decision to resign was a result of being unable to work with the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar and with Congress at the national level. The Chief Minister highlighted that, after consulting with party members, he received advice to step down due to the untenable situation within the coalition.
The Janata Dal United (JDU) has officially severed ties with the Congress party, blaming them for the collapse of the INDIA alliance.
Party spokesperson KC Tyagi accused the Congress of attempting to hijack the leadership of the coalition.
He alleged that Congress conspired with Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee to "steal the leadership" of the alliance.
"Mallikarjun Kharge's name was proposed (as PM face) through a conspiracy during an INDIA alliance meeting on December 19. Through a conspiracy, Mamata Banerjee was made to propose Kharge's name as the PM face. All other parties have made their own identity by fighting against Congress," Mr Tyagi said.
JDU further accused the Congress of disrupting the seat-sharing process, making disproportionate demands on allies, and subjecting other leaders to humiliation. The party contends that the Congress's actions were detrimental to the cohesion and efficacy of the INDIA alliance.
"Congress kept dragging the seat sharing, we kept saying that seat sharing needs to happen immediately. INDIA lacked plans to fight against BJP," Mr Tyagi said.
Earlier today, Nitish Kumar met Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar and handed over his resignation. The Governor has asked Mr Kumar to continue as caretaker Chief Minister till a new government is in place. He has also submitted a letter of support from BJP legislators. The Governor has accepted the letter and Mr Kumar is set to return as Chief Minister for the ninth time.