Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary vowed to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Nitish Kumar and not compromise on the “triple C” (corruption, crime and communalism) as his government won the vote of confidence in the Legislative Assembly by voice vote on Friday.
Listing his priorities, he said his office would directly monitor divisions, departments and police stations and strive to achieve comprehensive development with a focus on private investment, infrastructure growth, 11 townships, agriculture, education and health.
Chaudhary said that the National Democratic Alliance government led by Kumar has worked for the benefit of all sections of society in the past two decades. “While Prime Minister Narendra Modi strives for a developed India, Nitish Kumar worked for a prosperous Bihar, and the state’s transformational journey under his leadership must continue with greater speed,” he said.
He criticized Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav and called him a “product of the Lalu school”. Chaudhary said the atrocities he and his family faced at the hands of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav led to his elevation to the post of chief minister.
“In a democracy, people decide who gets where, and there is no school. BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] He made me the state party president and deputy chief minister twice before being elevated to the post of chief minister. The BJP and the NDA are one, contrary to what is portrayed in a section of the media.
He attributed his rise to Kumar’s willpower. If Nitish Kumar had not been there, Lalu Prasad Yadav would never have become a leader, let alone a prime minister, Chaudhary said. “It is the mandate of the people that determines who should be in power.”
He criticized those who accused him of manipulating his age to get out of prison, saying that a minor cannot be put in prison, and he passed the legal test before the Supreme Court. “I have been a minister six times since 1999, before I arrived here as the youngest chief minister. Lalu Prasad was also the youngest, but he did nothing for the development of Bihar.”
Their sole focus is on progress, creating 10 million jobs and industrialization, Chaudhary said.
Tejashwi Yadav accused the BJP of betraying the mandate and sacking Kumar to appoint a “hand-picked” chief minister instead of an elected president.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary of Janata Dal (United) said Tejashwi Yadav’s pain was understandable as he could not digest the smooth generational shift after the historic and sustained support for Kumar despite remaining in power for nearly two decades.
“What happened in Bihar is unparalleled. Nitish Kumar decided to pass the baton of leadership to the next generation at the peak of his popularity, which is an indication of people’s confidence because of Bihar’s transformational journey under his leadership. The new government will only move forward. With this kind of public support, Bihar could also witness a transition to the third generation of the NDA. There is nothing unique about this transition. In 2020, the Janata Dal (United) got only 43 seats against the BJP’s 74, but it was demanded Nitish Kumar continues despite his hesitation.
