Tejashwi Yadav vs Nitish Kumar? What RJD leader said on chief ministerial hopes

India Today

7 hours ago

Asked whether he would be the chief ministerial face of Bihar for the upcoming Assembly polls, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday said an announcement on the same would be made when the time is right.In an interview with India Today's sister channel Aaj Tak, Yadav said the decision on the chief ministerial face from the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) would be made after a decision by all opposition parties.advertisement"We will do it (announcement on chief ministerial face) when the right time comes. We have our own strategy. There should be an agreement among all opposition parties. There are no differences among us," said the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly.
Bihar, which has 243 Assembly seats, is likely to head to the polls in October or November this year.TEJASHWI YADAV SLAMS NITISH KUMARSlamming the Nitish Kumar-led government, Yadav alleged that no factories and schools were set up in the past 20 years and no employment was generated during the period."If there is any poorest state, it is Bihar. If there is maximum migration, it is from Bihar. If there is maximum unemployment, it is in Bihar. Neither (PM Narendra) Modi nor Nitish ji did anything. As far as sugar mills are concerned, the Prime Minister has not started a sugar mill in the last 11 years. I remember he used to say around 15 years ago, we would drink tea from this sugar mill. But, he has not set up a sugar mill so far," he said.advertisementRecalling the decisions he took when he was the Deputy Chief Minister for 17 months in the Mahagathbandhan tenure, Yadav said he got a sugar mill set up in Riga, gave government jobs to five lakh people and gave 4.5 lakh private teachers the status of government employees, among key decisions."We carried out surprise raids at government hospitals. We sacked 700 doctors who did not report for their duties, which had never happened earlier. We increased the limit of 200 free medicines to 600. We got Bihar an MOU worth Rs 50,000 crore by organising an investors' meet," he said.The RJD leader said Bihar was not granted the special status despite the state being ruled by the NDA for the past 20 years."In 20 years, we saw 75 to 100 scams under the Nitish government. The Prime Minister was raising questions about DNA. Well, the BJP is a washing machine. If you stay with them, you will be called sushasan babu (good administrator). If you don't stay with them, your DNA will be bad," he said."There is a double-engine government in Bihar. You did not give special status to Bihar nor provide the state with a special package. You come and give speeches, but they neither fill anyone's stomach nor provide employment," Yadav said in a swipe at PM Modi.advertisementCalling Nitish Kumar "tired", he slammed his government over what he called the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar."You are sitting in an unconscious state and bullets were fired outside the wall. The person who fired bullets has not been caught yet. That's the safest area of Bihar. If we aren't safe in this safest area, how can the people of Bihar be safe?" Yadav said, referring to an incident where a man was shot at in Patna's Polo Road area, a VVIP zone in the city.He said Nitsh Kumar had no vision left and that there was no newness in his ideas.Asked if the NDA would present a fresh chief ministerial face, replacing Nitish Kumar, Yadav said, "Where is the new face? The ministers and officials who have been in the same party for 20 years are the same. People have seen them for 20 years. There are no people capable of doing any work. All are useless."He said the Mahagathbandhan had a vision to take Bihar forward and that he felt "pained" seeing the condition of the state today.advertisement"This copycat government is copying our agenda and our vision. It is a good thing to copy from others. At least something will be good for the people. But what is the use then?" Yadav said in reference to the state government's decision to raise monthly pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 ahead of Assembly polls.ON ELECTION COMMISSION'S DOOR-TO-DOOR VERIFICATIONCriticising the Election Commission's door-to-door verification of electoral roll in Bihar, Yadav claimed it was a conspiracy, asserting that it was a sign that NDA will lose the election."Nitish ji and Modi ji are losing. A fresh voter list will be prepared. They (Election Commission) will go door-to-door of eight crore people and are asking for such documents which the poor do not have. The poor have got the right to vote. You are snatching their rights," he said."When the process was done last time, it took two years. How will this be completed in 25 days? What is the mechanism? Why was it needed? If it had to be done, it should have been done after the Lok Sabha elections. It is a conspiracy. These people want to win by doing such nonsense," he said while lashing out at the NDA.advertisementAsked whether LJP leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan's decision to contest the Bihar Assembly polls would create any impact, Yadav rebuffed, saying it won't make any difference."Whether he fights or not but what benefit does Bihar get from this? Which portfolio does Chirag ji have? Food processing portfolio. How many people in Bihar know that he is the minister that portfolio? One can wonder what he has done for Bihar so far while being a minister," he said.- EndsMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Tejashwi Yadav#Rashtriya Janata Dal