Daijiworld Media Network – Patna

Patna, Nov 1: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday made it clear that there is no vacancy for the Chief Minister’s post in the state, reaffirming that the BJP fully supports Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Speaking at NDTV Bihar Power Play in Patna, Choudhary said the party’s focus remains on development and continuity under Kumar’s governance.

“There is no vacancy for Chief Minister. Bihar has seen a long, dark chapter. After Sri Krishna Sinha, many Chief Ministers came and went, but none completed five years. Nitish Kumar brought real development to Bihar — from uniforms and cycles for school students to expanding the number of high schools from 2,000 to 10,000,” Choudhary said while speaking to NDTV’s Sumit Awasthi, Akhilesh Sharma, and Prabhakar Kumar.

Responding to questions on the BJP’s growing influence in the state, Choudhary said, “We are the makers. In 1990, Lalu Prasad Yadav became Chief Minister with BJP’s support, but he insulted Bihar, so we walked away. In 2000, Nitish Kumar had 34 MLAs, BJP had 70, yet we backed him for the state’s welfare. Even in 2020, it was Prime Minister Modi who urged Nitish Kumar to take the top post.”

He further asserted, “As long as Nitish Kumar is there, BJP considers him the Chief Minister. There are no two ways about it.”

Hitting out at the RJD over its criticism of the Rs 10,000 scheme for 1.5 crore women, Choudhary said, “RJD is anti-women, it’s in their DNA. Lalu Yadav was behind tearing the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. Modi ji got it passed. Nitish Kumar, on the other hand, gave 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions. People know who truly supports women’s empowerment.”

Taking a jibe at Tejashwi Yadav amid rumors over Nitish Kumar’s health, Choudhary remarked, “It was raining yesterday. A 36-year-old youngster was sleeping at home, and a 75-year-old man was addressing rallies.”

On allegations by Prashant Kishor about crime cases against him, Choudhary dismissed them as political vendetta from the Lalu-era and said, “Many novices come to politics; I don’t give them much importance. I have been working for 30 years; some have been around for just two.”

When asked about his father, Shakuni Choudhary, who earlier worked with the RJD, he said, “Politics changes with time. Nitish Kumar and Laluji have worked together, BJP and Laluji have worked together, even Congress jailed Laluji once and now he works with them. These are political timings.”

Choudhary’s remarks put an end to speculations about a leadership change in Bihar, reinforcing that Nitish Kumar continues to enjoy BJP’s unwavering support for the Chief Minister’s position.