Former RJD leader Rohini Acharya on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after he announced his decision to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, alleging that the JD(U) chief was facing the consequences of repeatedly “betraying” his political partners. She also claimed that the BJP ill-treated Nitish Kumar and “forced” him to contest the Rajya Sabha polls.
In a post on X, Acharya, the estranged daughter of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, asserted that Nitish Kumar himself was responsible for his current political situation and called him a “puppet of the BJP.” She remarked that leaders who repeatedly abandon their allies eventually have to face the repercussions of their own decisions.
“Nitish Kumar ji, who repeatedly betrays his own allies. You are yourself responsible for being pushed into your own abyss and for your own wretched state. You are the rightful recipient of whatever is happening to you today,” said Acharya, who quit politics after Mahagathbandhan’s drubbing in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls.
Calling Nitish Kumar a “pinnacle of opportunism”, Acharya claimed that he was forced by the BJP to contest the Rajya Sabha election. According to her, the development stems from Kumar’s decision to walk out of the Grand Alliance (INDIA bloc) and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on January 28, 2024.
“This was already decided on January 28, 2024, when Nitish Kumar ji repeated his world-famous skill of somersaulting by abandoning the Mahagathbandhan. It is precisely because of his inherent compulsion to cling to the chair that Nitish Kumar ji has today become a puppet in the hands of that BJP, which is notorious for digging the political graves of its allies and burying them,” she said.
She further said that Nitish Kumar had ignored warnings from several of his former socialist colleagues about aligning again with the BJP.
Acharya also referred to the 2022 incident in Maharashtra involving Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena and led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, suggesting that Nitish Kumar should have taken note of how the BJP allegedly treats its regional allies in other states.
“Despite repeated warnings from his old socialist comrades, he himself went and sat in the lap of the BJP, which is like a grave,” she said.
Acharya’s remarks add to the escalating verbal sparring between the RJD and the ruling NDA as Bihar’s political landscape is expected to witness a major transition, with speculation that the BJP could name its Chief Minister for the first time.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a landslide victory, winning 202 of the 243 seats in last year’s Assembly polls. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) won 85 seats.
Nitish Kumar had taken oath as the Chief Minister for a record tenth time, while the BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers.
NITISH KUMAR’S EMOTIONAL NOTE
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar, who filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls, defended his move in an emotional message to the voters of Bihar. Reflecting on his decades-long political journey, the JD(U) chief said that for more than two decades, the people of Bihar had consistently placed their trust in him, allowing him to serve the state with dedication.
The Chief Minister also said the confidence shown by the people had helped Bihar make significant progress and gain greater recognition at the national level. He expressed gratitude to the people for their continued support.
He also noted that since the beginning of his parliamentary career, he had hoped to serve in both Houses of Parliament and in the Bihar Legislature. With that objective in mind, he said he had decided to contest the Rajya Sabha election.
Nitish Kumar said his bond with Bihar would remain unchanged and that he would continue working toward the goal of a developed state.
– Ends
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Mar 5, 2026 15:17 IST
