Nitish hits out at PM Modi minutes after taking CM oath

'He should worry about 2024, not me,' Nitish said after his swearing-in ceremony

In what sounded like an indication of an 'open war' with his erstwhile ally—the BJP— Nitish Kumar on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, minutes after being sworn in as Bihar CM for the eighth time.

“The question is whether the one who was elected to rule in 2014, will remain at the helm in 2024. He should worry about 2024, not me,” Nitish said, on the sidelines of the swearing ceremony at Raj Bhawan here on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters shortly after he was administered the oath of office by Governor Phagu Chauhan, Kumar also rubbished the BJP's claim that the new government will not last its full term, and said his former ally "will be back where they were after the 2015 assembly polls".

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Nitish and Tejashwi, took oath as CM and Deputy CM at a low-key affair on the Raj Bhawan campus, a day after Nitish dumped the NDA and joined the Grand Alliance, Mahagatbandhan, comprising seven parties. The Cabinet is likely to be expanded later

“I am not a candidate for the country’s top post. But I will unite all the Opposition leaders who are inimical to the BJP,” said Nitish, dwelling at length how the present BJP was quite different from the Vajpayee-Advani era. “Uss samay ki baat hee alag thee. (Those were the good old days). We got so much of affection and guidance from the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee....things are diametrically opposite today in the present BJP,” said Nitish, flanked by his deputy Tejashwi.

“In fact, I was so worried with the present set-up of the BJP that I never wanted to become Chief Minister soon after Assembly results came out in November 2020. But the top BJP leadership then persuaded me: ‘Aap ko hee Bihar sambhalna hai’ (You have to take care of Bihar). I reluctantly relented..... I, however, felt relieved on Tuesday when I dumped the BJP....Today we have the same dispensation which was formed in 2015 and together we will take Bihar ahead by leaps and bounds,” said Nitish.

Leaders of the BJP, which is the second largest party in the assembly with 77 MLAs, were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing in ceremony that took place inside the Raj Bhavan. Earlier, senior BJP leader and former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had claimed that the party, with which Kumar broke his alliance the previous day, had received "no invitation".