Fri Feb 28 08:48:08 UTC 2025: ## Bihar Governor Highlights Nitish Kumar’s 20-Year Rule in Budget Session Address

**Patna, Bihar –** Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s address to the state legislature on February 28, 2025, marked the beginning of the budget session with a significant focus on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s two-decade-long tenure. Khan repeatedly highlighted November 24, 2005, the date of Kumar’s first floor test victory, emphasizing the state’s progress in law and development since then.

The Governor’s speech, punctuated by protests from CPI(ML) Liberation legislators demonstrating against the treatment of Indian nationals deported from the US, also detailed the government’s achievements in areas such as police recruitment (with increased women’s representation), agricultural improvements via five-year roadmaps, healthcare enhancements through new medical colleges, and the maintenance of communal harmony.

Kumar, seeking a fifth consecutive term as Chief Minister, visibly reacted to the Governor’s emphasis on the 2005 date. Members of the RJD-Congress combine, who previously governed the state, engaged in hushed discussions following the Governor’s remarks.

The budget session’s opening day was also marked by disruptions in the Assembly. Opposition MLAs protested against the seating arrangements, objecting to defectors from the RJD and Congress, who had joined the NDA last year, sitting near the ruling party. Petitions seeking their disqualification are pending with the Speaker. Despite the protests, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary successfully tabled the state’s economic survey.

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