Page 28 - Nitish Kumar

Bihar Cong's Kuntal Krishna resigns, refuse to accept Nitish's leadership

Adding further, Krishna declared that he is resigning from the post of PCC delegate, Congress Spokesperson, and all the positions he has held in the party

BJP may go for early polls worried over oppn unity gaining momentum: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has caused a flutter by predicting early Lok Sabha polls, on Friday asserted that the possibility arose out of the ruling BJP's fears of his opposition unity drive gaining momentum. Talking to reporters here, Kumar also defended the ouster of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi from the state's ruling 'Mahagathbandhan', alleging that the Hindustani Awam Morcha founder was virtually spying on opposition parties at the BJP's behest. "I may have spoken about early polls in jest but it is also a strong possibility. Those in power at the Centre may sense that there is a lot of movement in the opposition camp", said Kumar, as part of whose efforts to forge opposition unity leaders of nearly a score of parties opposed to the BJP will converge here on June 23 for a conclave. The JD(U) supreme leader was talking to reporters at the Raj Bhavan, after the swearing-in of party MLA Ratnesh Sada into the cabinet, which follows the resignation of Manjhi's son Santosh

Jitan Ram Manjhi was spying on Mahagathbandhan allies, alleges Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday charged Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) party founder, Jitan Ram Manjhi, of "spying on Mahagathbandhan allies" for the benefit of the BJP and claimed his exit was good riddance. Kumar admitted that Manjhi, a former chief minister himself, wanted to be a part of the June 23 Opposition parties meet but he was apprehensive that the latter might leak details of the conclave to the BJP. "He (Manjhi) was in constant touch with BJP leaders. He recently met several BJP leaders He wanted to be part of the June 23 meeting of opposition leaders but I had apprehensions that he might leak issues/matters that will be discussed on June 23. "I, therefore, asked him to merge HAM (S) with the JD(U). He said he could not do so, on this, I asked him to leave the Grand alliance it is good that he has gone away", Kumar told reporters after the swearing-in of JD(U) MLA from Sonbarsa assembly seat, Ratnesh Sada, in the state cabinet. Sada, a three-time MLA from

It's possible: Tejashwi on early Lok Sabha polls speculated by Nitish Kumar

Senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Thursday appeared to be in agreement with Nitish Kumar's speculation of early Lok Sabha elections. Yadav, who is also the deputy chief minister, said programmes of BJP president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Bihar scheduled to be held soon after the June 23 opposition meet here betrayed the "fear" of the saffron party. "You never know, it is possible..... Everything is in the hands of the ruling dispensation at the Centre," Yadav said when his reaction was sought on the issue. Kumar had spoken of the possibility of early polls at a government function on Wednesday where Yadav was also present. "The CM was stressing the need for early completion of projects since these get affected once elections are announced. It is the Centre which has a say in scheduling the polls," Yadav said. Asked about rallies by Nadda and Shah, reportedly planned on June 24 and June 29 respectively, in different parts of Bihar, he replied "the BJP has been

Bihar cabinet increases development fund for MLAs, MLCs to Rs 4 cr

The Bihar government Tuesday announced an increase in the development fund of MLAs and MLCs from Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore annually, an official said. The decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said. The MLAs and MLCs can now use more funds under the Chief Minister Local Area Development Scheme (CMLADS), the official said. The hike will be effective from the current financial year.

Jitan Manjhi's son Santosh resigns from Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's cabinet

In a sudden move, Bihar minister for SC and ST welfare, Santosh Suman, on Tuesday resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet, his party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) announced here. Suman is currently the national president of HAM which was founded by his father Jitan Ram Manjhi, a former chief minister. It was not immediately known whether the resignation was accepted. Sources in 'Mahagathbandhan', the ruling alliance in the state, however, said that even if HAM, a four MLA-strong party, pulls out of the coalition, it would not have a bearing on the survival of the government.

Allotted 150 acres for AIIMS but Centre rejected it, says Nitish Kumar

While BJP is levelling allegations against JD-U MPs for the shifting of the proposed AIIMS in Darbhanga, Bihar CM claimed that his govt allotted land with good road connectivity but Centre rejected it

Nitish Kumar is not a PM candidate for 2024 elections, says JD(U) leader

CM Nitish Kumar is spearheading the Opposition gathering, scheduled for June 23, to discuss methods to better challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections

Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti to attend Oppn meet in Bihar: Report

Jammu and Kashmir stalwarts Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti will be coming to the Bihar capital next week for the June 23 conclave of parties opposed to the BJP, a key political aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' made the disclosure at the party's Bihar headquarters here. "Leaders of altogether 18 parties have agreed to attend the meeting. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, both former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, have also agreed to come", said Lalan. Earlier, Lalan had said leaders who had given their assent included Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge from Congress, besides Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), M K Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Akhilesh Yadav (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT). JD(U) workers expressed their enthusiasm by raising "Nitish for PM" only to be ticked off by the national president who reminded them that the

Oppn meet on June 23 in Patna; Rahul, Kharge, Mamata among those to attend

"The opposition meeting will be held on 23rd June, in Patna. All opposition parties have agreed to this," JDU Prez

Strict action against guilty in Bihar bridge collapse: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the collapse of an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river, even as the opposition BJP alleged that Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav was "hiding the truth" in the incident. The saffron party slammed Yadav, the RJD leader, for his comment that "many structural defects" of the bridge have been pointed out by experts, and "the state government has already pulled down many portions which have been flagged as particularly vulnerable". The 3.16-km-long bridge was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur. It collapsed twice in the last 14 months- the first on Bhagalpur's Sultanganj side in April 2022 and the second time on Sunday evening on the Khagaria side. "The bridge is not being constructed properly and that is why it collapsed twice since April 2022. It's a serious matterThe department concerned has already initiated a thorough probe into it. Strict action will be .

Only heads of respective parties should be at oppn meet: Bihar CM Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he was insistent upon heads of respective parties attending the opposition meet, which was scheduled on June 12, but has been postponed. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, the JD(U) supreme leader said a new date for the much talked about meeting will be announced after consultation with all parties. We had to put off the June 12 meeting after the Congress and another party conveyed to me that they found the date inconvenient. I have therefore decided to postpone the meet and asked the Congress to suggest a new date after consultation with other parties. But I have made one thing very clear. All parties which agree to attend the meeting, must be represented by their respective heads, Kumar said. If any party insisted that it be represented by someone else, that would not be acceptable, he said. For example, there was an impression that the Congress may send someone else other than its president. This was

To ensure Kharge, Rahul availability, Oppn unity meet now likely on June 23

This comes as a huge jolt to the efforts of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav

Nitish orders probe as under-construction bridge on Ganga collapses again

"We will take strict action against the construction company 'SK Singla'. It would be put on the 'black-list' after the investigation is completed," said Additional Chief Secretary,

Bihar cabinet approves change in Prohibition and Excise Act: Official

The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday approved a change in the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022 which will allow authorities concerned to release vehicles carrying liquor in the dry state on payment of a far lower rate of penalty than that stipulated earlier, an official said. The authorities can now release vehicles carrying liquor after payment of either 10 percent of the insured value of the vehicle or Rs five lakh as penalty by the legal owner after consulting the judicial authority, additional chief secretary S Siddharth said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had imposed total prohibition in Bihar in 2016. The modified section will be notified soon by the government department concerned after completing mandatory formalities, he said. The owner of a vehicle seized in Bihar for carrying liquor is at present is at present required to pay 50 percent of its insured value for its release after the Court's .

Opposition parties' meeting in Patna likely to take place on June 12

The much-awaited meeting of parties opposed to the BJP may be held here on June 12, according to hints that have emanated from a meeting of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) here on Sunday. While no significant office bearer confirmed or denied the same, many present at the meeting said on condition of anonymity that the disclosure was made by the chief minister himself. Kumar, the JD(U)'s supreme leader, has been pitching for "opposition unity" ever since he snapped ties with the BJP in August last year, following accusations that the ally was trying to create fissures in his party and diminish his standing. Kumar, who is now heading an alliance government in Bihar which includes RJD, Congress and the Left, has reached out to leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, all of whom are opposed to BJP but not very comfortable with the grand old party either. In fact, the idea of hosting a meeting of opposition leaders in Patna was floated by Banerjee, who

Appreciate Nitish's efforts for oppn unity; can't trust KCR, Kejriwal: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said it has high regard for the efforts of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to bring opposition parties together but was "still not able to trust" leaders such as Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. AICC spokesperson Alok Sharma alleged that these leaders had "helped BJP in the last eight-nine years". "With a full sense of responsibility, as an official spokesperson of the Congress, I assert that we are still not able to trust Kejriwal and KCR," Sharma told reporters at Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) headquarters. To buttress his point, he underscored the Delhi CM's support for the now withdrawn farm bills, besides raking up the AAP founder calling for "arrest" of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to bust corruption. Nonetheless, he added, "We leave it to the discretion of Nitish babu. He may decide whom to take along." The Congress is the third largest constituent of Bihar's ruling ...

Bihar CM Nitish blames Centre for failure to attend Niti Aayog meet

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday blamed the Centre for his inability to attend the Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday where he wished to raise issues like caste census and special status for the state. The JD(U) leader, whose party is boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday, dubbed the function as an attempt to change history by those who had made no contributions to the freedom struggle. Kumar, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the death anniversary of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said, When I received the schedule of the Niti Aayog meet I sought a change in the timings since it clashed with the function here. We have respected Pandit Nehru since our childhood, though politically I have pursued a different line, said the veteran socialist leader, who now has the Congress as an ally. They (the Centre), however, did not agree to change the timing of the Niti Aayog meeting. Had they even agreed to hold

What is the need for new Parliament building, asks Bihar CM Nitish

Amid Opposition's call for boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Saturday asserted that there is "no need" for a new Parliament building. The new Parliament building is an attempt to write a new history by those who had no contribution in the freedom struggle, he told reporters here. Kumar also expressed dismay over President Droupadi and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, not being invited to the function. JD(U), of which he is a senior leader, has announced that it will boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday. The party will observe a day-long fast here on the day to protest the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There is no need for a new Parliament building... Those who had no contribution to the country's fight for independence are trying to distort history. It is quite surprising that the President of India and the

Defeating bill in RS will be semi-final for 2024 polls, says Kejriwal

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday called for opposition unity to take on the BJP as the JD(U) leader met the AAP convenor at his residence here and extended "complete support" to him in the ongoing face-off with the Centre over the control of administrative services. Kejriwal said he would meet leaders of various parties to ensure that any bill brought to replace the recent central ordinance, which virtually negated the May 11 Supreme Court order that ruled in favour of his government, is not passed in Rajya Sabha and also urged Kumar to reach out to them to rally support on the issue. If the bill is defeated in Rajya Sabha, it will send out a message that the BJP will lose the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he claimed. "It will be the semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," the AAP national convenor told reporters outside his residence after meeting Kumar and his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Kejriwal will be meeting the chiefs of