Will keep my turban at Lord Ram's feet: Nitish Kumar's deputy on his old vow

BJP leader on his old vow to remove his turban only after de-throning Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, then part of ruling Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar.

Published on: Jul 2, 2024, 15:03:51 IST

By HT News Desk

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Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary said on Tuesday that he will remove his turban and place it at the feet of Lord Ram, news agency ANI reported.

Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary. (File image PTI)

“True that I had pledged to wear the turban until I made Nitish Kumar resign as the chief minister. But now that he has switched back to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after resigning as the chief minister of the INDI alliance, it is time for me to dedicate this turban to the feet of Lord Ram. The day Nitish Kumar ji resigned as the chief minister of the INDI alliance and joined back the NDA, I announced that I would dedicate my turban to Lord Ram,” ANI reported Chaudhary as saying.

The BJP leader recalled his old vow to remove his turban only after de-throning Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, then part of the INDIA bloc and ruling Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar.

Also read | What Bihar's new deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said about removing turban and his old ‘vow’ regarding Nitish Kumar

The vow can be traced back to Choudhary's exchanges with Kumar inside the legislative assembly in July 2023. When Nitish Kumar reportedly asked Chaudhary why he was wearing a turban, Chaudhary responded that he had vowed to wear it until the JD(U) leader was ousted from power, as reported by the Times of India.

Kumar served as the chief minister of the former ruling alliance which included the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress party.

In January 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Kumar resigned from his CM post and quit the Mahagathbandhan to rejoin the NDA, which he had left less than 18 months prior.

Also read | Nitish Kumar's past detractors made deputies in new realignment

Kumar then took oath as the chief minister under the NDA government in Bihar for the record ninth time. BJP leaders Samrat Chaudhary and Vinay Kumar Sinha took oath as ministers and were later made the deputy chief ministers of Bihar. After taking oath, Choudhary said the vow was made in an emotional moment.

Interestingly, Choudhary began his political career with the RJD, where he served as a minister and moved to JD(U), where he held various positions. He joined the BJP in 2018 and served as the state BJP chief as well as leader of opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council.

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