‘Nitish Should Remain Chief Minister And Not Leave Bihar,’ Says RJD Leader Rabri Devi

Patna, March 8: Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was forcibly sending Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the Rajya Sabha adding that “he should not quit and leave Bihar.”

“The BJP is chasing Nitish Kumar out of Bihar. He has lost his mind. He should not quit the chief minister’s post under any circumstances. He should not leave Bihar,” Rabri told reporters at the Patna airport.

Arriving from Delhi along with RJD chief and her husband Lalu Prasad, she added that Nitish filing nomination for the Rajya Sabha was not a voluntary retirement, but a clever move by the BJP, which wanted to have the chief minister’s post.

“Nitish Kumar should remain the chief minister of Bihar,” Rabri Devi said, adding that any move to shift him to the Upper House would undermine the current political arrangement. Though Lalu did not respond to the questions of media persons, the remarks of Rabri, currently the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council, not only intensified the ongoing political upheaval in the state, but were also seen as RJD’s overtures to Nitish.

Nitish, 75, filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections on Thursday. The poll for five seats in the state would be held on March 16. He also posted on the social media platform X that he was moving to the Centre, but would be available to guide his party, Janata Dal United (JDU).