Samrat Choudhary a product of Lalu Yadav's classroom, not elected by people of Bihar, says RJD's Tejashwi

Samrat Choudhary, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday, took oath as the chief minister of Bihar on Wednesday.

Updated on: Apr 15, 2026, 13:47:21 IST

Edited by Asmita Ravi Shankar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday said that the newly sworn-in chief minister of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, is a "product of Lalu Yadav's classroom".

Samrat Choudhary has been in politics for about 30 years and has been a part of the BJP since 2015. (PTI)

Yadav's remarks came just a day before Choudhary took oath as Bihar's chief minister.

The RJD leader said that Samrat Choudhary was not chosen as Bihar's CM by the people, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended the tenure of Nitish Kumar, who resigned from the CM chair on Tuesday.

"Samrat Choudhary is a product of Lalu Yadav's classroom. Bihar's politics will continue to revolve around Lalu Yadav... The BJP, too, governed alongside them (NDA) for 20 years. Yet, Bihar's treasury remains empty," he told reporters.

ALSO READ | Samrat Choudhary: First BJP CM in Bihar comes with family legacy; was Rabri's minister in RJD govt, also in JD(U)

"This is not a Chief Minister chosen by the people of Bihar. The mandate was not given by the public... 'Nitish ji ko BJP ne khatam kar diya toh vo ab khatam ho gaye hai (The BJP has finished Nitish, so he is over now)," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Choudhary, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday, took oath as the chief minister of Bihar on Wednesday, marking the first time that a BJP leader took over the top post in the state. Shortly after his swearing-in ceremony, Choudhary took charge of the top chair at the Bihar Secretariat.

Earlier on Tuesday, Choudhary assured that the BJP will continue to prioritise India before everything else. In a post on X, he expressed gratitude to the party and called the role a "sacred opportunity" to serve the people of Bihar.

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party for reposing their trust in me… This is not merely a position for me, but a sacred opportunity to serve the people of Bihar,” he added.

Previously, Choudhary served as the deputy chief minister and home minister in the Nitish Kumar-led cabinet.

In the Bihar assembly elections last year, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -- including the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) -- achieved a landslide victory, the saffron party emerged as the largest party.

Samrat Choudhary has been in politics for about 30 years and has been a part of the BJP since 2015.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Asmita Ravi Shankar
Asmita Ravi Shankar is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. She covers breaking news and focuses on crime, geopolitics, and the domestic political landscape. She has an eye for the intricacies in criminal investigations and a keen interest in how diplomacy and complexities affect politics, within India and globally. She has written extensively about Operation Sindoor, the Iran-US conflict, elections in India, Trump tariffs and diplomacy. Asmita also engages in multimedia storytelling, using interactive elements to enhance readers' news experience and build a high-traffic news ecosystem. With nearly three years of experience in the journalism industry, Asmita has been with HT for a little over a year. She has previously worked with online news teams at Outlook India and Network18, covering a wide range of beats and building her specialisation. In HT, she has been recognised for her comprehensive reportage and her contribution to coverage of the Bihar assembly election results, having single-handedly driven over 2 million users on that day. Asmita earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, the University of Delhi. She went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in integrated journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, sharpening her skills in multimedia storytelling, editing and sourcing to enrich her reportage. Additionally, Asmita holds a degree in Bharatanatyam from the Pracheen Kala Kendra. She is also a teacher of the Indian classical dance form. When not working on news, Asmita can be found dancing, binge-watching true crime docu-series, cooking and exploring various genres of music.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.