Patna: The war of words between Bihar’s deputy chief minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav has escalated, with Sinha publicly displaying his educational certificates to counter allegations about discrepancies in his age.
Earlier this week, Yadav alleged that Sinha was registered as a voter in both Lakhisarai and Patna and claimed inconsistencies in the deputy CM’s age records. He said Sinha’s age was listed as 57 in one constituency and 60 in another, describing it as an “age scam”.
Sinha responded on Wednesday at a press conference, showing his matriculation and higher education degrees as proof that his correct age is 58. He said the Election Commission had been given a month to correct errors and that he had already applied to have his name removed from Patna’s voter list.
Turning his attack on Yadav, Sinha challenged the RJD leader – whom he referred to as the “Yuvraj of Jungle Raj” – to present his own degrees and explain reported inconsistencies in his and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav’s ages. “How did Tejashwi Yadav become 26 and Tej Pratap Yadav 25 in 2015?” he asked. Sinha also said he would send Yadav a notice for allegedly making false statements about his age.
Sinha accused Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of treating politics as their “fiefdom” and said it was time to “teach a lesson to the descendants of Duryodhan”. He added: “This is 21st-century Bihar. We will respond in the language they want to understand.”
