Chirag congratulates Nitish, hopes he will 'continue to remain NDA's CM'

LJP president Chirag Paswan Monday congratulated Nitish Kumar on becoming the Bihar chief minister once again, saying, tongue-in-cheek, that he hopes the JD(U) leader will "continue to remain the NDA's CM".

In an apparent swipe at Kumar becoming the chief minister despite having way too less MLAs than the BJP, he said, "I congratulate you on becoming the chief minister and the BJP for making you one".

"Congratulations to respected @NitishKumar ji for becoming the chief minister once again. Hope the government will complete its term and you will continue to be the NDA's chief minister," Paswan, a bitter critic of Kumar, said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

Paswan, during the acrimony-filled campaign for the Bihar assembly polls, had claimed Kumar might ditch the BJP after the results were out, join the RJD-led Grand Alliance, and make yet another attempt at posing a challenge to the NDA in the 2024 general elections.

Paswan, who had chosen to plough a lonely furrow, had said the LJP was and will remain loyal to the BJP, which was staring at the spectre of yet another "paltimaar" (volte- face) by the JD(U) president.

In another tweet on Monday, the LJP chief termed the NDA's victory in the state polls "a big win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi", and took a swipe at Kumar, saying "There are some people who have been in power for 15 years but still have to take help of three friends (to stay there)".

The NDA in Bihar includes the JD(U), BJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) of backward class leader Mukesh Sahni.