After rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's offer of a single berth to JD(U) in the Modi 2.0 Cabinet, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday, 31 May, hinting at the BJP and Modi, said that "votes in Bihar were not polled in the name of any personality", reported NDTV.
Upon his return to Patna after attending PM Modi's sweating-in ceremony in Delhi on Thursday, 30 May, Kumar said, "No one should have any confusion that the victory which was registered by NDA in Bihar - it's the victory of the people of Bihar. If somebody is claiming that this is his personal victory, then they are delusional."
The JD(U) chief had said on Thursday that his party Janata Dal (United) will not be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government. The update came just before Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
"The offer we got was not acceptable," the Bihar Chief Minister told reporters while he was on his way to the oath ceremony.
“They wanted only one person from JDU in the Cabinet, so it would have been just a symbolic participation. We informed them that it is ok, we don’t need it. It is not a big issue, we are fully in NDA and not upset at all. We are working together, there is no confusion there.”Nitish Kumar, Bihar chief minister
Party leader Pavan Varma also confirmed the news and said, "JD(U) will not join government," PTI reported.
Earlier there were reports that the BJP-ally in Bihar will join the Cabinet. Nitish even held a meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah a day before the oath ceremony.
Nitish Kumar's party won 16 of Bihar's 40 seats while the BJP won all the 17 seats it contested.
(With inputs from PTI, NDTV)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)