Minister asks BJP/NDA leaders to laud Nitish's resignation

Patna, May 21: Deriding BJP and NDA leaders for terming

's quitting as Bihar Chief Minister, a "drama", Kumar's trusted aide here today defended him saying Kumar had upheld high moral standards in public life.

"Nitish Kumar has set an example of high moral standard in public life by resigning from the post of Bihar chief minister at a time when political values have been eroding," Water Resources minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said in a statement.

He claimed that Kumar's decision to quit the chief ministership after JD(U)'s drubbing in the general elections in the state, had earned appreciation from intellectuals and people of Bihar.

Chaudhary exhorted the BJP and NDA leaders to rise above envy towards Nitish Kumar and hail him for upholding moral and political values. The minister said that Kumar's detractors had publicly demanded his resignation on the day the results of the general elections were out, but were not prepared to digest the fact that he would surprise them by going ahead with demitting office so quickly.

"The BJP leaders have been taken aback by Kumar's resignation and so they are describing it as a drama," the senior JD(U) leader said. Chaudhary said that BJP leaders were perhaps of the view that Kumar would get himself re-elected as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party, the very next day after tendering his resignation to the Governor.

But the former chief minister foxed them by nominating Jitan Ram Manjhi, a leader hailing from Mahadalit community, as his successor that made them change tack yet again to charge Kumar with trying to remote control the new government in Bihar.

PTI