‘Atal Ji Made Me CM, How Can I Forget?’: Nitish Kumar Reaffirms BJP Ties in Amit Shah’s Presence

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, addressing a public event in Patna in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, acknowledged past political miscalculations, vowing never to repeat them. “I made a mistake twice. This will never happen again. Atal ji made me the Chief Minister—how can I forget that?” Kumar said, reaffirming his allegiance to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Reflecting on the state’s past, Kumar criticized previous administrations for lawlessness and communal tensions. “You know what the situation was earlier. No one stepped out of their houses in the evening. There were fights between Hindus and Muslims. There was no governance, no development,” he said. “Education was in a dire state, children didn’t go to school, and there was no healthcare system. Those in power made no efforts to improve the situation.”

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary echoed the sentiment, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. “The country is changing under Modi ji, and Bihar is following the same path under Nitish Kumar,” he said.

Amit Shah, who was in Patna to attend a Cooperative Department event at Bapu Auditorium, laid the foundation stone and inaugurated projects worth Rs 823 crore across four departments. During the event, Kumar signaled to BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was seated in the VIP gallery, asking him to join the stage—a gesture seen as symbolic of renewed ties within the NDA.

The event also marked the distribution of micro-ATMs to 100 cooperative societies and the online inauguration of Mithila’s ambitious Makhana Processing Center, a key initiative aimed at boosting Bihar’s agro-based economy.