Chirag’s riposte to Nitish jibe: ‘This kid relegated you to third place in 2020 polls’

On the sidelines of a function on Monday, Nitish said, “We had given him (Chirag) due respect. There is nothing new in his campaigning for the BJP… he had always been with the BJP. Aakhir wo bachcha hai na ji (after all, he is a kid).” In reply to another question regarding the Bihar roots of Ram Vilas and Chirag, Nitish said, “…viyahwa to dusara Dilli jaake kiye the na (he married for the second time in Delhi).”

Nitish has opted out of campaigning for the bypolls and addressed the Mokama and Gopalganj voters through a video message.

Reacting to the “kid” remark, Chirag said, “In terms of age, sure, I am like his son. But the tone and tenor of his kid reference suggest that he was being sarcastic. He must not forget that this kid had relegated the JD(U) to number three in the 2020 state polls.”

The allusion was to JD(U)’s poor show in the 2020 Assembly polls when Chirag, who then headed the LJP founded by his father, revolted against Kumar and fielded candidates, many of them BJP rebels, from all seats contested by the JD(U). This is the first time since the last state polls that Nitish Kumar has attacked Chirag. New political realignments are in place in the state after JD(U) quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in August and joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Opposition parties. The BJP, weakened since Nitish switched sides, has managed to bring Chirag back to its fold.