New year will see departure of Nitish Kumar government: Tejashwi

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday asserted that the new year will mark the "departure" of the NDA government in Bihar headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The former deputy CM, who is now leader of the opposition, was speaking to reporters shortly after governor-designate Arif Mohammad Khan left his residence in Patna.

Khan was understood to have been invited by Yadav, who had gone to the Raj Bhavan earlier in the day, citing the new year as well as the birthday of his mother Rabri Devi.

Khan spent nearly 45 minutes at 10, Circular Road, the government bungalow former CM Rabri Devi shares with her son Tejashwi and husband and RJD president Lalu Prasad. After spending nearly 45 minutes, Khan returned to the Raj Bhavan.

Yadav took no questions on the visit that came a day ahead of Khan's swearing-in but asked journalists not to speculate about any upheaval ahead of the assembly polls due in less than a year.

"It is too cold. Keep yourselves warm but do not make any wild guesses. The new year will see a new harvest (nai fasal) and a new government that will be sensitive to the people's need for health, education and jobs (padhaai, kamaai, dawaai, sunwai aur karvaayi ki sarkar)," said the young leader.

He added, "In the new year, my uncle (chacha) Nitish Kumar will be voted out. He has been in power for 20 years. Soil gets ruined if the same crop is sown for so long. So, it is time for the departure of Nitishji and the NDA."