Bihar to follow Modi-Nitish model: CM Choudhary; Tejashwi takes 'selected CM' jibe at him
Patna (PTI): Bihar will be governed on the "Modi-Nitish model", said Samrat Choudhary after being sworn in as chief minister on Wednesday, as congratulations rolled in from NDA leaders who exuded confidence that the state would progress rapidly under his leadership.
Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) administered the oath of office and secrecy to Choudhary as chief minister, a day after Nitish Kumar resigned after serving in the post for the longest period.
"I will immediately start working for the prosperity of the state. It should remain clear that Bihar will continue to be governed on the Modi-Nitish model," the new chief minister said after the ceremony.
Congratulating Choudhary on being sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Bihar, NDA leaders exuded confidence that the state would progress rapidly and contribute to materialising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve for a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Nitish Kumar, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP, took to X to congratulate Chaudhary and expressed confidence that "under your leadership, Bihar will develop rapidly and join the ranks of the most developed states in the country".
Besides NDA leaders, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, extended his best wishes to Choudhary, albeit with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Congratulations to Samrat Chaudhary ji on fulfilling his pledge today to remove the 'elected' chief minister Nitish Kumar ji from power, and heartfelt best wishes on becoming the 'selected' chief minister," he wrote in an X post.
He said that Choudhary must be aware of the "bitter, unpleasant and harsh" fact that even after 21 years of NDA rule, "Bihar significantly remains below the national average on most NITI Aayog benchmarks."
"I hope that the new 'selected' chief minister will work powerfully and not pawn the pride of Biharis to the directions of outsiders," Yadav quipped.
BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi also extended best wishes to Choudhary for becoming Bihar's chief minister.
"Samrat Choudhary will work to develop Bihar in a way that will help realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve for 'Viksit Bharat 2047'.
"Nitish Kumar ji established the rule of law in Bihar and brought in development. The new chief minister will take his work further," he told reporters.
The chief minister's father, Shakuni Choudhary, a seven-time MLA who had been part of several political parties, described his son's ascension as "God's grace".
"It is all a grace of God. I fought a long battle and helped form several political parties, but could not succeed. Today, with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar ji, Samrat Choudhary has become the Bihar CM. Hard work indeed bears fruit," he said.
JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha expressed hope that Bihar will enter a "new phase of development" under Choudhary's leadership and that "the pace of growth will accelerate, youth will get new opportunities, farmers will be empowered, and each section of society will witness equitable progress".
"We hope and are confident that the trust Nitish Kumar ji and the NDA legislature party have reposed in you will be fully justified, and you will take Bihar to new heights of progress," he wrote on X.
Jha also prayed for Choudhary's good health and long life.
Union Minister and LJP(RV) national president Chirag Paswan congratulated Choudhary and said that all NDA allies will work together to "realise prime minister Narendra Modi's vision of building a developed India".
"Nitish ji worked to nurture Bihar and prepared the ground. We will now work to erect the edifice of development on that foundation," he said.
Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said that "a new era has dawned" in Bihar politics as Nitish Kumar ji has handed over the responsibility of the state to the "hands of a good person." "Nitish Kumar governed Bihar very well in the last two decades. If any work has remained amiss, Samrat Choudhary ji will complete that," he said.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that "Nitish Kumar is still in the driver's seat" and it is the "responsibility of Samrat Chaudhary to carry forward Kumar's vision of development".
"There was no JD(U) government, and there is no BJP government. It was, and is, the NDA government. Samrat Choudhary will maintain the social harmony established by Nitish Kumar ji," he said.
Singh said Lalu Prasad's rule in Bihar has gone down in history as an era of 'jungle raj' while that of Nitish Kumar will be recorded as a "golden era" for the state.
"With the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar will move forward on the path of development established by Nitish Kumar ji," said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
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He's crazy person: Himanta on Rahul alleging Assam CM misused state power to harass opponents
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma threw a "crazy person" barb at Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday after the Congress leader accused him of "abusing state power to harass his political opponents and critics".
Sarma, who arrived at the airport here before proceeding to Puri to pray at the Jagannath Temple, challenged Gandhi to make his passport details public and reveal which countries the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha had visited.
His scathing remarks came after Gandhi termed Sarma "most corrupt in the country" and said the Congress stood with Pawan Khera, who has alleged that the Assam CM's wife has multiple passports and offshore properties, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit.
The Sarmas have rejected the allegations as false.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged, "The present CM of Assam is the most corrupt in the country. He will not escape the law. His abuse of state power to harass his political opponents and critics is against the Constitution."
"The questions that are being raised have to be probed. Transparency, accountability of power and the rule of law are the basis of our Constitutional values. The Congress stands with Pawan Khera. We will not be intimidated," he has said.
Responding to reporters' questions over Gandhi's remarks, Sarma said, "Let me make it very clear, neither I nor any member of my family has a golden visa, as alleged. Rahul Gandhi is a crazy person."
"I challenge Rahu Gandhi to present his passport in front of the media, and I will bring mine and those of my family members. Let the media know who is visiting which country," Sarma said.
The Assam chief minister also said that Rahul Gandhi "is not God". "If I make allegations against him, will he be ready for a probe into those? He should know that others, too, have the right to ask him questions."
Asked about the Supreme Court staying the Telangana High Court's order granting Kehra one-week transit anticipatory bail in the case registered for levelling allegations against Sarma's wife, the BJP leader said he was not aware of it.
"However, according to me, the Telangana High Court cannot grant transit bail to Khera as he is not a resident of that state. The law will take its own course," Sarma said.
The senior BJP leader said he would join his party's election campaign in West Bengal from Thursday.
Later, in a post on X, he said, "On Assamese New Year, offered my prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for Assam's continued peace and progress." Along with the post, he also shared a video of his visit to the temple.
