New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reacted to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar's latest political switch on Sunday, calling him a 'snollygoster'. In his trademark style, Tharoor, renowned for his excellent command over English, defined Kumar with the archaic word, which means "a shrewd, unprincipled politician".
This is not the first time he used the word. In 2017, when Kumar had parted ways with the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Tharoor had quipped on Twitter (now called X): "Word of the day! Definition of *snollygoster* US dialect: a shrewd, unprincipled politician. First Known Use: 1845. Most recent use: 26/7/17".
On Sunday, he shared the post. "Didn't realise it would be the Word of Another Day too!#snollygoster," he quipped today.
Tharoor, however, fell short of naming Nitish Kumar.
Nitish Kumar had also called Devendra Fadnavis "snollygoster" when the latter formed a short-lived government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar in 2019.
Also read: JD(U) blames Congress bid to steal INDIA bloc leadership for Nitish Kumar's exit
Kumar today resigned from the post of Bihar chief minister, leading to the collapse of the RJD-JD(U) government. He claimed he took the decision as he didn't get a response from the INDIA bloc.
{{/usCountry}}Kumar today resigned from the post of Bihar chief minister, leading to the collapse of the RJD-JD(U) government. He claimed he took the decision as he didn't get a response from the INDIA bloc.
{{/usCountry}}Nitish Kumar has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA. He will soon form a government with two BJP leaders as his deputies.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh today called Nitish Kumar a chameleon.
"This will not have any impact on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The INDIA bloc will be further strengthened, Mamata Banerjee has herself said this. This (Nitish Kumar's resignation) will further upset people and I think people of Bihar will teach the right lesson to Nitish Kumar and the BJP in the election...I agree that this will be in the headlines for a day or two, it doesn't look good that Nitish Kumar had called the first meeting (of INDIA Alliance) in Patna...he attended all the meetings. But like I said, Nitish Kumar gives a tough competition to chameleons," he said, per ANI.
JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, meanwhile, claimed Nitish Kumar quit the INDIA bloc as the Congress party attempted to steal the leadership of the alliance. He also claimed that the Congress made Mamata Banerjee propose the name of Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial face of the alliance.