Bihar chief minister resigns
Bihar Chief Minsiter Nitish Kumar has resigned from his post citing that his conscience has pricked him to take the decision.
This evening, Kumar met with Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to submit his resignation, NDTV reports.
His stunning move came after Lalu Yadav reiterated earlier in the day that his son, Tejashwi, would not quit the second position in the government despite being caught in a corruption scandal. "I did not ask for anyone's resignation," said Nitish Kumar, "but I told Tejashwi and Lalu that they must explain the charges publicly. The atmosphere had become such that it was impossible to work," he said, adding "my conscience told me to quit.", NDTV quoted Nitish Kumar as saying.
The Congress' top bosses, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, have attempted mediation with both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav, but were unable to broker a compromise, the report says.
Talking to media after his resignation, Kumar said his decision to step down in the interest of Bihar. “Ever since the corruption charges were levelled against RJD leaders, we have been asking them to at least explain those charges. We also met Tejashwi and told him that the image that is being created, he should clarify all that. But this did not happen. The situation got so worse that it became difficult for me to work. We had followed the Gathbandhan Dharma and had tried to protect it. But now my conscience does not allow me to continue,’ said Kumar, The Indian Express adds.
He also said that he had spoken to Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi on the matter. “There are many Congress leaders in Bihar. We also asked them to find a solution to all this. So now I have decided to keep myself away,” said Kumar adding that his resignation has been accepted by the governor, according to The Indian Express.
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