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New Delhi:

The defection of Nitish Kumar from the Opposition ranks — while being a major blow — has also given them a huge  opportunity bash the BJP as well as Nitish Kumar. While this has revived Mr Kumar’s earlier reputation as “Paltu Ram”, he has amassed a handful of pejoratives – from “Tired”to “chameleon”.

This was the second time Mr Kumar had dumped the Opposition and sought greener fields under the NDA banner. The last time he did so was in 2017, when he refused to continue with the Grand Alliance after corruption allegations against Lalu Yadav and his son and then Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.  

Even so, the Mahagathbandhan got together in 2022 as Mr Kumar ditched the BJP and crossed over to the other side.

Leaders of the Congress, RJD, DMK, JMM, Trinamool Congress, CPI(ML)-L and AAP attacked Mr Kumar today.

Tejashwi Yadav, who had got back his Deputy Chief Minister post after Nitish Kumar came back, was bitter.

“He was a tired Chief Minister… I can give you in writing that the JDU party will be finished in 2024. The public is with us,” he said.

The Congress called Mr Kumar a “chameleon”. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the party’s media in-charge Jairam Ramesh said: “Nitish Kumar, who frequently changes political partners, is giving a tough competition to chameleons in changing colours.” The people of Bihar will not forgive this “expert of betrayal” and those who are making him dance to their tunes, he added.

Nitish Kumar “has created a new record of forming the government with all the parties in a single term,” said Sharad Pawar in a jibe.

“Earlier, a saying ‘Aayaram Gayaram’ had become very famous in Haryana. But Nitish left it behind in Bihar also,” he added.

His alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray was scathing.

“We are not living in Ram Rajya but in the reign of ‘Paltu Rams’. Had there been Ram Rajya, Manoj Jarange would not have been needed to come to Mumbai (for the Maratha quota demand,” Mr Thackeray said.

Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi posted on X, formerly Twitter, the derisive comments on the freshly minted allies — Nitish Kumar’s comment that he would prefer death to allying with the BJP, and a series of comments by Amit Shah.

“मर जाना क़बूल है, उनके साथ जाना क़बूल नहीं है । ये अच्छी तरह जान लीजिये !”

नीतीश कुमार

“पलटूराम ने जनादेश का अपमान किया है”
“अरे पलटू बाबू, कुछ तो लिहाज रखो “
“छठ मैया से प्रार्थना करता हूं कि पलटू राम से मुक्त हो बिहार”
“नीतीश कुमार के लिए BJP के दरवाजे बंद”

अमित शाह

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) January 28, 2024

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP has insulted the people of Bihar and also the public opinion. “The public will respond to this insult by defeating the BJP alliance in the Lok Sabha elections,” his post read.