Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s return to the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) is “a slap on the BJP’s face,” Rahstriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Friday, as he asserted that the same model would be replicated in other States.
In his first visit to Delhi after taking oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr. Yadav met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, including CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D. Raja.
In these meetings, he is said to have discussed the recent developments in the State as well as its national implications.
Soon after exiting the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mr. Kumar had talked about Opposition unity before the next Lok Sabha polls and Mr. Yadav stressed on preparing a road map for the 2024 polls.
Mr. Yadav’s Delhi visit holds significance for Cabinet expansion as his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad is here and finalisation of names of ministers is set to be high on the agenda during the discussions between the two.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav with CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha during a meeting in New Delhi on August 12, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Ms. Gandhi, Mr. Yadav said Bihar had shown the way to the country and the politics of intimidation by the BJP-led Central government was no longer tenable.
Quoting the political scenario in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, he said, ”the BJP government believes in intimidating those who can be easily scared and buying off others. They are destroying all constitutional institutions, be it the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate or income tax departments. Their situation is worse than police stations.”
“Bihar’s people won’t cower down and Biharis are not for sale. Bihar has shown the way ahead.” Mr. Yadav added.
JD(U) National President Rajiv Ranjan alias Lallan Singh, Mr. Yadav said, had already explained in detail how the BJP had been working to finish all regional parties.
“Let me point out here, a majority of regional parties belong to the backwards and Dalits. They wanted to finish Nitish Kumar in Bihar, who comes from a backward community; they divided Ram Vilas Paswan’s party into two and are trying to destroy his political legacy. If the regional parties finish, then opposition will be finished. And if that happens then we will be left with a dictatorial government,” the RJD leader said.
Same ideology
Fielding questions on the RJD-JD(U) flip-flop, he said that for national interest, they had to keep their differences aside. “We blamed them and they blamed us, but we belong to the same ideological home — socialism. And every home has altercations. And no one can snatch this legacy,” he noted.
Mr. Yadav also cited examples from last two years to argue that the Bihar Chief Minister on occasions stood up for him. One such exchange happened just weeks after the NDA government’s victory in Bihar Assembly polls, he said, adding that when the BJP was attacking him, Mr. Kumar stepped in to defend and referred to him [Mr. Tejashwi] as the son of his friend. He added that for national interest, they had to keep their differences aside.
Hitting out at the BJP for running a “false” narrative of the RJD ushering in jungle raj, he said, “The real jungle raj is in Delhi, where the opposition is not allowed to speak out”.
Congratulating Mr. Yadav for ensuring that a “secular” government took charge in Bihar, Mr. Yechury said they should now implement all the promises made.
Mr. Raja said the developments in Bihar have had a positive impact on the political course in the country. “Coming together of the RJD and the JD(U) has left the BJP panicking and now our goal must be to throw them out in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
