Amit Shah hails Nitish Kumar's return to national politics as Rajya Sabha MP - ‘His Bihar tenure was truly glorious’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar's tenure as Bihar Chief Minister as a 'golden chapter' in the state's history and welcomed his return to national politics as he filed nomination for the Rajya Sabha election.

Shah emphasised the ‘glorious’ tenure of Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of Bihar during which he made significant contributions to Bihar's progress.

"Bihar's CM also filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha. With this, after a long gap, he will once again enter national politics as a Rajya Sabha MP. Nitish Kumar served as CM of Bihar from 2005 until now. His tenure was truly glorious. This tenure will be written as a golden chapter in Bihar's history, shaping the entire gamut of Bihar's development... Throughout his long career as an MLA, MP, Chief Minister, and Union Minister, his kurta was never stained. His entire life was free from corruption charges," he said.

Less than four months after taking oath as Bihar Chief Minister for a record 10th term — and just four days after turning 75 — Nitish Kumar filed nomination for Rajya Sabha elections on Thursday. And in doing so, the Janata Dal United chief has paved the way for its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to have its leader in charge.

"For 11 years under PM Modi's leadership, he made a significant contribution to Bihar's progress in every way, and it was under his leadership that all of PM Modi's initiatives reached the people of Bihar... He is once again returning to Delhi as a Rajya Sabha MP. I and all our NDA colleagues heartily welcome him, and his tenure as Chief Minister will always be remembered and respected by the people of Bihar," he added.

Apart from Nitish Kumar, other NDA candidates, including BJP Chief Nitin Nabin, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, BJP's Shivesh Kumar and JD(U)'s Ram Nath Thakur, also filed their nominations for the Upper House.

Nitish Kumar's decision evoked reactions, with the opposition reiterating that the BJP had been intent on removing him from the CM post all along. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav launched a scathing attack, saying that his "hijack" allegation proved to be true.

“Everyone knows that in the Bihar elections, the NDA had given this slogan '2025 se 30 phir se Nitish'. The BJP and NDA's constituent parties know how the elections were conducted through tricks, tantra-mantra, and the entire system in place. Even then, we had said that the BJP people had 'hijacked' Nitish Kumar and wouldn't let him sit on the chair again. We had said that he won't stay in the chair for more than six months,” the former deputy CM said.

(With agency inputs)