Former Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has reacted sharply to Nitish Kumar’s flip-flop and said that his Janata Dal (United) party will be finished in 2024.

Nitish Kumar ditched the RJD-led grand alliance in Bihar and formed a new government with the support from BJP.

Reacting to Nitish Kumar’s decision, Yadav said, “I want to say this clearly, the game has just began. The game is not yet over. I do what I say. And I can give this in writing the party that is JD(U) will be finished in 2024.”

Nitish had joined the RJD-Congress-Left alliance in 2022 after ditching the BJP-led NDA. Less than 18 months after his switcheroo, he is back with the BJP.

He sworn in as CM along with two deputies from the BJP – Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. Besides, fighter ministers also took oath in today’s swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by BJP national president JP Nadda.

After returning to the NDA fold, Nitish said that he has come back to where he was before and assured there is no question of going back.

When asked about his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks that JD(U) will be finished in 2024, Nitish said that the RJD leader was not doing anything.

“We work for the development and progress of Bihar. We will keep doing the same, nothing else. Tejashwi was not doing anything…,” he told reporters in Patna.

Meanwhile, the JD(U) has held the Congress responsible for Nitish Kumar’s decision to exit the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

Speaking to reporters, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that Congress wanted to steal the leadership of INDIA bloc.

“In the meeting that took place on December 19, a conspiracy was hatched to appropriate the leadership of INDIA bloc, as Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed (as PM),” Tyagi said.

He said that while JD(U) pressed for seat-sharing agreement at the earliest but Congress kept delaying it and the alliance failed to come up with a definite plan.

“Earlier, in the meeting in Mumbai, it was unanimously decided that the bloc carry its principal agenda forward without naming a PM face. However, as part of a well-thought-out plan, (West Bengal CM and TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee proposed Kharge’s name as PM (with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal seconding it). Many of the Opposition parties of today carved out their individual identities after uncoupling themselves from the Congress. While we pressed for seat-sharing talks at the earliest, the Congress kept dragging their feet and delaying it. INDIA failed to come up with a definite plan or roadmap to fight the BJP,” Tyagi said.