Five occasions when Nitish Kumar supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Nithish Kumar, former chief minister of Bihar and leader of Grand Alliance, at time to time has given his support to the BJP-led NDA central government causing a rift with the alliance members. Kumar had broken alliance with NDA in 2013 after BJP announced Narendra Modi as their prime ministerial candidate and shook hands with RJD, Congress and CPI to form a government in Bihar. But in the last one year Kumar had been openly supporting the Modi's policies and decisions. 

Here are five occasions when Nitish Kumar supported the Indian Prime Minister 

1. On 29 September, 2016 eleven days after the URI attack, Indian Army on the directives of the Ministry of Home affairs conducted ‘surgical strikes’ against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. While, political parties having alliance with Grand Alliance including Congress demanded for proof of the strike, Kumar openly praised BJP-led NDA government's decision to carry out strikes on militant camps being operated from Pakistan.

2. The JD (U) chief, after the announcement of Demonetisation on November 8 evening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposition parties started protest across the country but Kumar termed the demonetisation as a direct move to wipe out black money from the country.

3. On January 2017, the Indian Prime Minister and Kumar share stage at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on the occasion of Prakash Parv. Modi then had congratulated Kumar for his ‘nasha-mukti abhiyan’, and said it would inspire others as well. Modi even thanked Kumar for organising the special event on Guru Gobind Singh’s 350th birth anniversary.

4. When the oppositions denied the invitation of being part of the GST roll out event organised by BJP-led NDA government on June-30 midnight to launch the ‘one India one tax’ program, Kumar was first the accept the invitation and be part of the launch. Taking a move ahead he even suggested the Grand Alliance partners to be part of the historical event. Kumar had termed this tax historic while delivering a speech in the State Assembly. Bihar had become the first non-BJP state to give formal consent to GST.

5. Nitish Kumar chose to support BJP-led NDA president candidate Ram Nath Kovind and not Meira Kumar, the opposition candidate. Kumar had declared his support for Kovind as soon as his name was declared and had announced he would not vote for opposition candidate stating, “It is for the first time that the Governor of Bihar has been chosen for the post of President. it's good for Bihar.”