Opposition questions timing of Bihar budget and Nitish Kumar’s ‘Samriddhi Yatra’

According to the Opposition, the yatra and the budget calendar together suggest an effort by Kumar to reassert his political authority before allies.

The opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar has questioned the timing of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s ongoing Samriddhi Yatra and the state government’s decision to present the annual budget on February 3, alleging that both moves reflect political signalling within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rather than administrative urgency.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (ANI)

Leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress argued that the overlap between the outreach tour and the early budget date indicates pressure on the chief minister from his senior ally at the Centre and junior partner in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to the Opposition, the yatra and the budget calendar together suggest an effort by Kumar to reassert his political authority before allies.

RJD MP from Buxar, Sudhakar Singh, said the Samriddhi Yatra was less about public interaction and more a signal to alliance partners. “Everyone knows that the people of Bihar voted overwhelmingly for the NDA in Nitish Kumar’s name. But because BJP leaders have started browbeating him, he is wasting his time in the field instead of fulfilling the promises made during the recent Assembly elections. This tour ahead of the budget is merely an excuse for public outreach; its real aim is a show of strength before the BJP and the LJP,” Singh alleged.

The budget session of the Bihar legislature is scheduled to begin on February 2 with the Governor’s address, and state finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav is slated to present the annual budget on February 3. Singh pointed out that last year, when the NDA was also in power, the budget was presented on March 3 by then finance minister Samrat Choudhary, who is now the state’s home minister.

“Preponing the budget date clearly indicates that Nitish himself is not sure of what the Centre will give to Bihar. Why does the chief minister want to present the budget the very next day after the Union Budget? Parliamentary convention dictates that state budgets are taken up only after discussions on the Union Budget are completed. What is the hurry?” Singh asked.

Echoing similar views, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said that soon after the Assembly poll results, the BJP began dictating terms to Nitish Kumar. “First, they made two deputy chief ministers from their quota and then took the important home ministry from Nitish’s own belt. This yatra is an act of desperation,” he said.

The ruling Janata Dal (United) dismissed the Opposition’s criticism, accusing it of political frustration. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the RJD-led alliance was unable to accept Kumar’s “resounding mandate”.

“Through this tour, Nitish Kumar is addressing people’s problems across regions and reviewing the performance of earlier schemes. I fail to understand why the Opposition is so upset about the budget being presented on February 3,” he said, adding that the budget would help identify unmet needs that could later be addressed through supplementary grants.

“The Opposition is rattled by the chief minister’s popularity. That is why they are indulging in baseless rhetoric,” the JD(U) spokesperson said, framing the controversy as an attempt to politicise governance rather than engage in a substantive debate on fiscal procedure.