Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at former ally Nitish Kumar during a visit to Bihar, accusing him of having ambitions for the country’s top post. However, Mr Shah declared that the position of Prime Minister was not vacant, as the people had already chosen to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister for the third time. Mr Shah also stoked the rumours that Mr Kumar would hand over the chief minister’s post to Tejashwi Yadav, but suggested that this was unlikely to happen as Mr Kumar coveted national leadership. Mr Kumar had ended the 30-year partnership with the BJP for the second time in 2022 after reports that Mr Shah was foraging within the JD(U) for defectors. Mr Shah reiterated that the BJP’s doors were closed to Mr Kumar, who he accused of spreading casteism, and Lalu Prasad, who he claimed had pioneered ‘Jungle Raj.’
