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Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Can be discussed': Tejashwi Yadav on possibility of Bihar election boycott over SIR exercise; says 'will see what the people want'
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday hinted that the opposition Mahagathbandhan might consider boycotting the upcoming Bihar assembly elections , accusing the ruling NDA of manipulating the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. 'That too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone's opinion is,' Yadav told IANS when asked if a poll boycott was on the table. The remark came amid uproar in the Bihar Assembly, where RJD and other opposition MLAs demanded a full debate on the SIR process. 'Bihar is the cradle of democracy, and attempts are being made to strangle it,' Yadav said, accusing chief minister Nitish Kumar of suppressing discussion on the issue. Echoing Rahul Gandhi's recent claims of electoral manipulation, Yadav alleged that in some states, dozens of voters were listed under the same BJP worker's address. He warned of similar tactics being deployed in Bihar through the SIR process. Despite the ongoing political tensions, Yadav confirmed that the INDIA bloc has finalised its seat-sharing formula and leadership structure for the Bihar elections. 'An announcement will be made soon,' he said.
News18
9 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
'You Weren't Performing, So I Left': Nitish Kumar Calls Tejashwi 'Just A Kid' In Fiery Debate
Last Updated: Before the argument broke out, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav raised concerns over the SIR questioning its timing, impartiality, and feasibility, especially for the migrant population Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav got into a fiery debate in the assembly on Wednesday, over the voter list revision in the poll-bound state. When Tejashwi questioned the exercise, Nitish, while defending the government's record, mocked him saying he is 'just a kid" and told him that he had left the Mahagathbandhan because he was not 'performing well" as the deputy chief minister. Watch the video here: VIDEO | Bihar Assembly Session: Heated exchange of words between CM Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi)."Your father was CM for seven years and then your mother was there… you were the deputy CM… what was the situation at… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 23, 2025 'Your father was CM for seven years and then your mother was there…you were the deputy CM…what was the situation at that time? I was with you…but you were not performing well so I left…." Nitish Kumar said. The personal attacks began when Tejashwi questioned the requirement of 11 documents for the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. He asked how poor people will manage to provide so many documents. In response, Nitish got agitated and reminded Tejashwi of his 'parents' tenure" and called him a 'kid". 'What are you talking about? Why are you speaking like this… Elections are coming up this year, and people will think about what to do. Our government has done a lot of work. These people just say anything for elections," he said. He added: 'Did women ever get anything before? We've done a lot for women. RJD didn't do anything for Muslims. We've worked for Muslims. You're just a kid, what do you know? People used to not even step out of their homes in Patna in the evening. We'll go to the people with the work we've done." WHAT DID TEJASHWI YADAV SAY? Before the argument broke out, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav raised concerns over the SIR exercise, questioning its timing, impartiality, and feasibility, especially for the state's large migrant population. 'I asked for only four things. The voter list was first published in February, and after the Lok Sabha elections, a revision could have been done. Instead, they are rushing everything now. They are demanding 11 documents, which poor people do not have. Where will poor people get so many documents in just 25 days?" Tejashwi said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) requires new voters to submit 11 documents, including identity proof, birth certificates, residence certificates, Aadhaar cards, and mobile numbers. Tejashwi said this process will burden the poor, illiterate, and rural populations, potentially disenfranchising them. He highlighted the significant digital divide in the state, stressing on the need for practical considerations in implementing such processes. He said the right to vote is a fundamental right in a democracy and urged the EC to be impartial. 'Lalu ji says that the right to vote is a fundamental right in a democracy. Our objection is not to the SIR itself, but the EC should work impartially; it has not held a press conference so far. Are the voters who cast their vote in the last Bihar election fake? Does it mean that Nitish Kumar became chief minister through fake means? Did Narendra Modi become PM through fake means? Did we also win elections through fake means?" he asked. (With ANI inputs) First Published: July 23, 2025, 18:18 IST News politics 'You Weren't Performing, So I Left': Nitish Kumar Calls Tejashwi 'Just A Kid' In Fiery Debate Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘Madly in love with Rahul, Sonia': MP Pappu Yadav says Congress never accepted him
Speaking exclusively with ANI, Pappu Yadav, who has a stronghold on Seemanchal region, emphasised that Congress needs a strong leadership in Bihar. Notably, Yadav had won the last Lok Sabha polls from Bihar' Purnea as an Independent candidate after the Congress denied him the ticket and gave the seat to its alliance partner RJD. New Delhi: Stating 'madly in love with Rahul Ji, Sonia Ji,' Independent MP Pappu Yadav said as he is 'waiting' for Congress to make a move before the Bihar Assembly polls later this year as he feels that the party has 'never accepted him.' 'Congress need a strong leadership. Congress has never accepted me in Bihar till today.' Pappu Yadav told ANI. When asked why Congress has not accepted him, Pappu Yadav said, 'That is only they know. They (Congress) are the kings.' However,he said, 'I am waiting for them (Congress). I am madly in love with Rahul Ji, Sonia Ji.' Yadav told ANI that he feels that there are two reasons for his independent struggle into the Bihar politics. 'I have been kicked a lot in politics. My two crimes, as I see them. The first is that I was born 30 years later than Ram Vilas Paswan Ji, Nitish Kumar Ji, and Lalu Yadav. The biggest problem is that I won't speak lie. In truth, even if I compromise, I would do 20-30 per cent. My personality does not match with big parties,' Pappu Yadav said. Partially blaming RJD chief Lalu Yadav, the Purnea MP said, 'The problem for me is that Lalu Yadav ji is in the alliance. I don't know what problem he has with me, even though I have always respected him. I always stood by him. What does he want? I do not know.' On being asked whether Lalu Yadav holds influence on Rahul Gandhi in Bihar, Pappu Yadav said, 'I believe Rahul Gandhi ji listens to everyone but does what he wants.' Speaking about him being stopped from onboarding the van during the Bihar Bandh rally on June 9, Pappu Yadav dismissed the claims of being deliberately snubbed. He said, 'The public pushed me to go on the stage and I fell while stepping onto it.' Pappu Yadav along with Congress leader and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) national incharge Kanhaiya Kumar on July 9 were snubbed by security from boarding a van during the Mahagathbandhan protest against electoral roll revision in poll-bound Bihar. The incident occurred when both leaders attempted to board the van carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, but were stopped by security guards. He also added, 'I will not share the stage in this life with the Yuvraj of any party who is arrogant.' When asked to clarify who he referred to as 'Yuvraj', Yadav responded, 'Whosoever has the backup of family background and is arrogant about it. Whosoever takes forward their political career with father's legacy… any party leader who doesn't know about the struggle.' Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also read: Tejashwi Yadav calls on Speaker for discussion on EC's SIR in Bihar Assembly
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
EC, oppn face-off in Bihar and Omar's leap of defiance
Greetings readers!In the run up to the Monsoon session of the Parliament, several issues that are likely to become the highlights of the session have already started to rear their heads. While the Election Commission is planning to expand the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) excercise of electoral rolls in Bihar to all over India, the opposition Mahagathbandhan and several other parties are seeing it as a prelude to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). On the geopolitical front, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a fiery confrontation with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar at the SCO meet in China. US President Donald Trump meanwhile has asked for release of grand jury documents in the Epstein case. The Wall Street Journal in the meantime published a story where Trump's name appeared on a risque 2003 personal note to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting the US President to sue the publication. So hang tight as we unfold major political developments of the week for you in today's DH Political Theatre. The burden of proof .Nearly 8 crore voters in poll-bound Bihar are carrying the burden of proof to show that they are eligible to vote, that too – for leaders who have barely shown they are worth it. For a state whose youths are hustling in the country's Tier 1 cities for work, the EC has provided a new side hustle of gathering documents for their kin back home. The Congress, part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state, is vehemently opposing the SIR as a "deliberate and diabolical" move to rig elections through large-scale disenfranchisement, with Rahul Gandhi asking whether the poll body has completely become the BJP's "Election Chori branch".RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has rubbished the poll body's claim that more than 35 lakh voters were not found at their registered addresses across Bihar during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Earlier, Yadav did not just dismiss another EC claim, he flushed it down with flair. Responding to the poll body's claim, citing its sources, that BLOs have found many voters from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar in Bihar's electoral roll, Yadav said, "Hum wo sutra [sources] ko mutra samajhte hain… iska koi adhaar nai hai. [We consider these sources as urine, waste]."Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar, vowed to develop Motihari like Mumbai and Patna like Pune. If only urban development was as effortless as alliteration. Omar vaults 'prohibitory wall' to salute matters. Among qualities like resilience, strong conviction, a willingness to challenge the status quo, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah added another must-have quality for people wanting to uphold freedom if expression in a democratic country—fitness. The 55-year-old CM scaled a wall to reach the Martyrs' Graveyard in Srinagar amid an alleged house arrest and heavy police presence, further escalating the confrontation between the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir and the Lieutenant Governor-led administration over the observance of Martyrs' has alleged that he was manhandled by the police. The tense standoff came a day after top political leaders from both mainstream and separatist camps were barred from visiting the graveyard on Martyrs' Day, which is observed to honour 22 unarmed Kashmiri protesters who were shot dead by the Dogra army in apart from issuing prohibitory orders, L-G Manoj Sinha also took 'full responsibility' for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The invitation Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country's second longest cable-stayed bridge constructed across the Sharavathi backwaters between Ambaragodlu and Kalasavalli in Karnataka, in the absence of the CM and local MLAs of the event led to a political slugfest between Siddaramaiah dispensation and the Union government with both blaming each other for failing to follow Gadkari said that an official invitation had been extended to Siddaramaiah on July 11 and a subsequent letter sent on July 12 requesting that he participate in the event virtually, the CM wrote on X that neither he nor his office was consulted before finalising the programme. 'The invitation was sent to me only three days prior to the event. We had requested that the event be rescheduled since I had commitments in Indi in Vijayapura. This cannot be construed as proper consultation,' he on the boil over student 20-year-old Odisha college student who set herself ablaze over alleged sexual harassment by a professor died on Monday, triggering nationwide Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the student's death by self-immolation and vowed the strictest punishment for all those responsible — action, many believe, that could have come before the woman was driven to take such an extreme had recently hailed Odisha as a rising model of women's empowerment at the state-level Nari Shakti Samabesh. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJD president Naveen Patnaik have termed the incident an "organised murder by the system". The Congress has also demanded the chief minister's resignation over the incident. 'Happy Birthday Epstein'.An off-colour letter allegedly written by US President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, financier and convicted sex offender, on his 50th birthday, emerged in the media on Thursday, much to the embarrassment of the Republican. The President however has termed the letter fake and sued the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for publishing the 'fake' letter. The Journal said the birthday letter, bearing Trump's name, contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appeared to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. The newspaper said the letter concludes 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret," and featured the signature "Donald."Denying writing the letter, Trump said that he has 'never written a picture in his life'-- which can be true because normally people draw a picture instead of writing it. "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story...I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of not my language. It's not my words," he that Epstein had been sexually abusing girls became public in 2006 - after the birthday book was compiled - and he was arrested that year before accepting a plea deal. Epstein died in 2019 in jail after he was arrested a second time and charged with sex-trafficking is all about the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will come back again next week with more political advancements from around the globe. Exit Stage Left, DH Newsletters Team
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Polls Near, Bihar's 'Jungle Raj' Debate Intensifies As Chirag Paswan Joins Oppn To Take On Nitish Kumar
Last Updated: Nitish Kumar's politics has been all about exposing the 'jungle raj' under the Lalu regime, but the shoe is now on the other foot, and Kumar is facing flak from even allies 'Law and order in Bihar has collapsed"—it is not just the Opposition saying so in Bihar, but also an NDA ally and Union minister Chirag Paswan. This shows how lawlessness, more colloquially called 'jungle raj', is emerging as the biggest issue ahead of elections scheduled at the end of the year. The murder of prominent businessman Gopal Khemka on July 4 in the heart of Patna by contract killers has given a virtual lifeline to the likes of the RJD to turn the tables on the Nitish Kumar government on the issue of 'jungle raj'. With even NDA allies like Paswan expressing their disapproval over the situation, the heat is on the long-standing chief minister who has always held the home portfolio and, in effect, controls the police force. Kumar's politics has been all about exposing the 'jungle raj' under the Lalu regime. But the shoe is now on the other foot, and Kumar is facing flak from even allies. The BJP here is in a piquant situation. It is now citing how the police force under Kumar has quickly solved the Patna case with the arrest of the shooter, another key accused, and has killed one accused in an encounter—all within four days. This, the BJP says, is a change from earlier times when killers and mafia like Shahabuddin were sheltered in the Lalu Prasad regime. But, inside the BJP camp in Patna too, there is no denying the fact that the killing has come as a setback to the NDA's campaign against the Mahagathbandhan. The murder happened in a posh area of Patna near Gandhi Maidan, prompting Paswan to ask if this was the situation in the heart of Patna, one can only imagine the situation in the villages. The RJD is now highlighting the murder of five persons of the same family in a village in Purnea, three killed In Siwan, and another three killed in Buxar—all in the last one week—to cite how Paswan's fears are true. The BJP, however, is saying it will ensure Bihar will never return to 'jungle raj' like it was under the Lalu regime. The heat clearly in on chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the presumptive chief ministerial face. First Published:
