india

Updated: Mar 01, 2019 13:37 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a special birthday wish for Bihar’s “hardworking” chief minister and BJP ally Nitish Kumar as praised him for ending the “years of misrule” in the eastern state.

“Greetings to my friend and Bihar’s hardworking Chief Minister, @NitishKumar Ji. Nitish Ji’s persistence ensured Bihar emerged out of the shadows of years of misrule. His pro-people governance has touched the lives of many. I pray for Nitish Ji’s long and healthy life,” the Prime Minister tweeted his wishes on Friday.

Wishes also came from several Union ministers and leaders across the political spectrum.

Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah also wished Nitish Kumar on his 68th birthday. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also wished for good health and long life for Nitish “Chacha ji” (uncle).

Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar for the first time in 2000 but lasted only for a week. And in 2005, he became Bihar’s 31st chief minister and has held state’s top post since then. Jitan Ram Manjhi, however, became the chief minister from May 2014 to February 2015.