RJD Chief Lalu claims that “doors are always open for Nitish” in spite of the Bihar CM’s recent about-face

Following the announcement on Friday that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was leaving the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) to rejoin the NDA, RJD president Lalu Prasad said that his “doors are always open” for his longtime opponent.

In response to questions from media, Prasad, who has been silent since his party lost power due to the JD(U) president’s about-face, was speaking.

The pair had been seen mingling briefly in the state legislature the day before. The video of their encounter went viral on social media despite their short exchange. Since their recent split, these two leaders had never met before.

The RJD chief said, “Jab aaenge tab dekha jaaega (Let him come back)” in response to a question about whether Prasad’s goodwill meant that he was still willing to make amends with Kumar, who had dumped him twice and consequently cost his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav the position of deputy chief minister each time. After that, we’ll see.

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is greeted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his Patna home.
The persistent wooing of Nitish Kumar
In response to a follow-up question on whether the erstwhile ally’s doors were still open, Prasad—who has known Kumar since their days as student activists in the 1970s—said, “Khula hi rahta hai (these are always open).”

Rahul Gandhi said, “Koi kami thodi hai, koi kami nahi hain (there is no incompetency in him),” when asked whether he could become prime minister.

Lalu also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be ousted in the next Lok Sabha elections.

In contrast to his father’s assertion, Tejashwi Yadav attacked Nitish Kumar once again on Friday at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Sasaram, claiming that the chief minister of Bihar was unwilling to listen to anybody.

You are all well aware of how unreceptive to criticism our CM is. ‘I would die, but I won’t join the BJP,’ he used to remark. Despite the sacrifices we would have to make, we chose to stick with Nitish ji in order to defeat the BJP in 2024. Our newly appointed Chief Minister was worn out.”

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is greeted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his Patna home.
EXPLAINER | Nitishing to remain in power forever Tejashwi accompanied Rahul Gandhi on his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ on Friday, accompanying him in the lead vehicle which carried the leaders through Sasaram.

“According to Lalu Ji, the doors are still open. He need to be aware that the doors are secured with the renowned Aligarh padlock. Our leader, Nitish Kumar, has said unequivocally that RJD has acted corruptly every time it has shared power with us. There’s no turning back,” said MLC and top spokesperson for JD(U), Neeraj Kumar.

Earlier in January, Nitish—who had allegedly lost his cool when he was not named the convenor of INDIA, the Opposition bloc that he helped to shape—left the national coalition and the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar to form a new government with the backing of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP.

On January 28, Nitish resigned as chief minister, putting an end to wild rumors about his and the Mahagathbandhan’s future in Bihar. This was Nitish’s second backdown in less than 18 months.

On February 12, 129 members of the 243-member state legislature voted in favor of the motion of confidence, which was supported by the Nitish-led NDA administration.

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is greeted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his Patna home.
“He pulls a U-turn with little pressure,” was Rahul’s first response when Nitish switched sides.
RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is greeted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his Patna home.
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