RJD leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was compelled to resign from his Legislative Council membership under pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that the move was not taken independently.
Speaking to IANS, Yadav said, “This had to be done as it was the BJP’s decision, not Nitish Kumar’s. Some BJP agents within the JD(U) imposed it, which is why it happened. We had already said earlier that they would not allow him to continue as Chief Minister, and that is what is now unfolding.”
He also accused the state government of misleading the public over key promises. “They have deceived citizens by increasing electricity bills. Power was already expensive in Bihar, and now it will become even more costly. They had promised to give Rs 2 lakh to every woman, but provided only Rs 10,000. They claimed the remaining amount would be given after elections, but even that promise is now being broken,” he added.
Echoing similar criticism, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP of deceiving several leaders, including Nitish Kumar.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar resigned from his membership of the Bihar Legislative Council, complying with constitutional requirements following his election to the Rajya Sabha. He was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16 and is scheduled to take oath on April 10.
Under constitutional provisions, an individual elected to Parliament must resign from any existing legislative post within 14 days, failing which the new membership stands cancelled. In line with this rule, Kumar submitted his resignation on March 30, with MLC Sanjay Gandhi handing over the letter on his behalf.
The move also marks the end of Kumar’s long tenure in the Bihar Legislative Council, where he served four consecutive terms from 2006 onwards. Since becoming Chief Minister in November 2005, he has largely retained office through membership of the Council rather than contesting Assembly elections.
Earlier in his political career, Kumar was elected as an MLA from Harnaut in 1985 and also served as a member of the Lok Sabha, but his chief ministerial tenure has remained anchored in the state’s Upper House.
