BIHAR Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern State and paving the way for a new Chief Minister. The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The Chairman later welcomed him as a member of the Upper House and also on his return in Parliament. Kumar took the oath in Hindi in the presence of Union Minister J P Nadda, who is also leader of the house,

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary was also present at the oath-taking. JDU leader and party’s working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, besides BJP MP and former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and BJP chief whip in Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, were among those present during the oath-taking. “Vice President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, administered the oath to Shri Nitish Kumar as an elected Member of Rajya Sabha, from Bihar, at Parliament House today,” the Vice President’s office said on X, while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.

 

After the oath-taking, Kumar came out of the new Parliament building and spoke about the time he was a member of the Lok Sabha and sat in the old Parliament building. As Kumar assumes the Rajya Sabha role, it marks the end of his long two-decade rule in Bihar. Kumar will soon resign as Chief Minister and the NDA is likely to elect a new Chief Minister of Bihar on April 14. He has already resigned as a member of the State Legislative Council on March 30 after he was elected to Rajya Sabha. The JD(U) supremo was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16, and he had to quit as an MLC in the 14-day period after his election. PM Modi congratulates Nitish Kumar on Rajya Sabha innings: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on taking oath as Rajya Sabha member and said he is one of the most experienced leaders in the country and his commitment to good governance has been appreciated everywhere.

 

Modi also said that he was fully confident that Kumar’s long political experience will further enhance the dignity of Parliament. “Nitish Kumar ji is one of the most experienced leaders in the country. His commitment to good governance has been appreciated everywhere,” he said in a post on X in Hindi. The Prime Minister also congratulated Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh for being nominated as a member of the Upper House. Modi said Harivansh has made invaluable contributions to journalism and public life and he is a respected intellectual and thinker. “With his profound thoughts and insights, he has enriched the proceedings of the House over the past few years. I am delighted that the Honorable President has nominated him to the Rajya Sabha. My very best wishes to him for the upcoming parliamentary term,” he said.