Bihar CM Nitish Kumar flayed by BJP inside Bihar assembly

COVID-19 vaccination in Bihar is likely to pick up pace with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday setting a target of inoculating six crore people in the next six months.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Wednesday accused of having lost "political credibility" by his former deputy and senior BJP leader Tarkishore Prasad. Prasad made the remark while taking part in a debate on the motion of confidence brought by the new 'Mahagathbandhan' government.

The BJP leader mocked Kumar's "personal ambition to become the prime minister despite not having the ability to become the chief minister on his own steam". "Personal ambition caused him to ditch BJP in 2013 and again nine years later," said the BJP leader who also raked up sidelining of leaders like George Fernandes and Sharad Yadav by Kumar to make his point, drawing angry response from JD(U) members.

"He remains the CM though his deputy keeps changing. He is like a batsman who causes others to get run out to remain on the pitch. RJD should remember that its president Lalu Prasad had compared him to a snake that sheds its skin," alleged the BJP leader. Tarkishore Prasad also claimed that "jungle raj" has returned to Bihar where crime rate has risen ever since RJD clawed its way back to power and wondered whether allegations of corruption against the party's top leaders "do not matter anymore".

The BJP leader taunted Kumar for JD(U)'s drubbing in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and claimed that the party's tally shot up to 16 in the state five years later "only because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi". "He wants to become PM though it may be his last innings as CM. He has lost political credibility," Prasad added.