The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar on Saturday strongly rebutted opposition allegations of dynasty politics following the induction of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, into the cabinet of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Opposition Allegations
Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, including Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, accused both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) of abandoning their stance against dynastic politics, pointing to several NDA ministers hailing from political families.
BJP's Defense
BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi defended Nishant, highlighting his educational background and noting that he had even declined the post of Deputy Chief Minister. He launched a scathing attack on the RJD, stating, "What can the RJD possibly say? It is a party belonging to a single family. When Lalu Ji was about to go to jail, he handed the reins to his wife, Rabri Devi, who couldn't even write her own name properly. He then made Tejashwi Deputy CM, Tej Pratap the Health Minister, and daughter Misa Bharti a Rajya Sabha member. Lalu's brothers-in-law used to run the government during Rabri Devi's rule."
Minister Dilip Jaiswal also rejected the dynasty politics allegations. He defined dynastic politics as "precisely when the son of a prominent leader ascends directly to the highest office. It is defined as a situation where a Prime Minister's son becomes the Prime Minister, or a Chief Minister's son becomes the Chief Minister." Jaiswal added that Nishant was new to politics and had entered public life through the party organization. "Having now become a minister, he will undoubtedly perform even better in the future," he said.
JD(U) Leaders Weigh In
Senior JD(U) leader and minister Shrawan Kumar clarified that Nitish Kumar had no role in bringing his son into politics. "Nishant himself was reluctant, but agreed to honour the call of youth across the state to join politics and the ministry. Otherwise, Nishant earlier refused to become even the Deputy Chief Minister," Shrawan said.
JD(U) national executive president Sanjay Kumar Jha noted that Nitish had never brought Nishant into politics during his four decades in public life. "The party thought he should join after Nitish stepped down. Now people will judge Nishant based on his performance," Sanjay said.
Attacking Tejashwi Yadav, JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha compared the Leader of the Opposition to a "frustrated cat scratching at a pillar." He said, "Tejashwi is driven by the exasperation of suffering repeated setbacks in the political arena and remaining out of power for a prolonged period. Now he has resorted to making baseless and factually unfounded statements."
The NDA's unified stance underscores its determination to counter opposition narratives while defending the merit and potential of Nishant Kumar's entry into Bihar's political landscape.
