Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Nitish Kumar for joining the fight against corruption.
After a brief meeting with Janata Dal-United MLAs, Kumar submitted his resignation to Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. Kumar said that it had become difficult for him to work with his alliance partners -- Lalu Yadav and son Tejashwi -- in light of the corruption charges against them.
Modi welcomed Kumar’s decision and stated that 1.25 billion citizens of India support and welcome this act of honesty.
The PM said such a move was the need of the hour. “To rise above political differences and fight against corruption in country and in Bihar in particular, for development is need of the hour,” tweeted Modi.
The move has raised speculations of a ‘ghar wapsi’ of sorts for Nitish Kumar. Kumar was an alliance partner with the BJP. However, in 2013, Kumar ended the 17-year alliance over its decision to promote Modi as its presumptive prime minister.
In 2015, he tied up with the Congress and former rival Lalu Yadav to block the PM from winning Bihar for the BJP.
