'Every time Nitish picks up his phone...': Congress' swipe at 'battle for supremacy' within Bihar NDA

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate. (PTI/File)

The Congress party on Wednesday took a dig at what it claimed was a battle for supremacy between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United), the two primary constituent of the ruling ND in Bihar.

Soon after seven BJP legislators were administered oath as ministers in the state Cabinet, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said a battle of supremacy was underway within the ruling alliance and that the BJP "gets nervous every time Nitish Kumar picks up his phone" wondering whom he's calling.

The Congress leader also termed the Cabinet expansion exercise as meaningless. "It is just a diversion tactic because in Bihar a survey happened and some hard truths came out...What work has Nitish Kumar done for the welfare of backward, Dalits and tribals in Bihar? BJP and its allies run all these distraction campaigns," Shrinate told news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: Congress leader Supriya Shrinate says, "There is a battle for supremacy between BJP and JDU... this cabinet expansion is just a diversion tactic because in Bihar a survey happened and some hard truths came out...What work has Nitish Kumar's government done for the pic.twitter.com/0qKACsa4wn

ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2025

The Cabinet expansion on Wednesday saw 7 BJP MLAs take oath as ministers in the Nitish cabinet, taking it to its full strength. While there were discussions around two JD(U) leaders being accommodated in the list of new entrants to the Cabinet, the BJP appeared to have had its way in the end.

The seven BJP MLAs who took oath on Wednesday included Sanjay Saraogi, Sunil Kumar, Jibesh Mishra, Krishna Kumar Mantoo, Motilal Prasad Vijay Kumar Mandal and Raju Kumar Singh.

The complete dominance of the BJP in the selection of new ministers in hat could be the last cabinet expansion ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year also reveals the BJP's absolute consent on accepting Nitish as the leader of the alliance.

On Wednesday, Nishant Kumar, who is tipped to make his political debut for the JD(U), demanded that his father Nitish be declared by the NDAas its chief ministerial face to ensure that Bihar's growth story continues uninterrupted.

The BJP responded saying that while the announcement will happen at the appropriate time, Nitish is already the tallest NDA leader in Bihar and there was consensus within the state and central units of the party about the alliance contesting the elections under Nitish's leadership.

Whatever has been said is something that we have been saying for a long time now, that we will contest the election and form the government under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. Our senior leaders, state leadership and central leadership have said the same thing. We will contest the lections under Nitish Kumar's leadership, win 200+ seats and form the government once again in Bihar," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said.

The BJP leader further said that the Opposition was in the habit of stoking a controversy when there is none. "Nitish Kumar is the most experienced leader (in NDA) and Bihar has made tremendous progress under his leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him 'Laadla Mukhyamantri' and has a lot of affection for him. There is no doubt that we will contest the elections under Nitish's leadership and form a government," he added.