Expected Nitish Kumar would fight BJP at very end: Cong's Jairam Ramesh

Moments before Nitish Kumar handed over his resignation to the Governor, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday that parties in the INDIA bloc had expected that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would fight the BJP and its ideology till the very end.

His reaction came just moments before Nitish Kumar announced his exit from the Mahagathbandhan creating a path for him to a possible return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"I don't want to comment on the current political development in Bihar. I don't know what will happen there," Jairam Ramesh told ANI when asked about the possible return of Nitish Kumar to NDA.

He however said that Nitish Kumar played an important role in the INDIA alliance.

"Nitish Kumar called the first meeting of opposition parties in Patna on 18th June 2023. The second meeting was held in Bengaluru on 17th-18th July 2023. Then again on 31st August-1st September in Mumbai. Nitish Kumar played a prominent role in all three meetings," Jairam Ramesh said.

"So we expected that Nitish Kumar would fight the BJP and its ideology till the very end. In the coming two to three days, I don't know what will happen," he added.

Meanwhile, RJD, on Sunday put out a full-page advertisement in leading newspapers in the state, edging out the Janata Dal (United) supremo and projecting Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

In the full-page advertisement, which only carried a magnified image of Tejashwi, the RJD thanked the deputy CM for several developmental initiatives ranging from giving over 4 lakh government jobs to enhancing the state's tourism potential.

The development comes amid a deafening buzz that Nitish would rejoin the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), bringing an end to the 'Mahagathbandhan' rule in the state.

The fast-changing political events in the state were triggered by a social media post from former CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, in which she took a swipe at the JD(U) saying that while the 'socialist party' styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns.

Meanwhile, the sources, earlier on Sunday, said Nitish has sought time to meet the state Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan in Patna.

The BJP, which was in government with Nitish's party before the latter switched sides to forge ties with RJD in 2022, and the JD(U) are holding separate meetings on Sunday.Arriving for the BJP meeting, party leader Ram Narayan Mandal said, "The meeting today would focus on expanding and strengthening our organisational presence in the state."

On the fate of the ruling grand alliance, he said, "I am not authorised to comment on that. Only our top leadership will articulate our position on the current situation in the state."

Meanwhile, adding to the intriguing turn of events in the state, JD(U) minister Sanjay Jha, who is considered a close aide of CM Nitish, did not come for the meeting at the chief minister's residence in his official vehicle.

If Nitish crosses over, it would mark the fourth time that he would be switching sides.Earlier, in a fresh post, Rohini Acharya said her fight against 'communal forces' will continue till death."Our fight against the communal forces will continue till our last breath," she posted on X.