Had I Joined Hands with BJP, I Would Be CM Too, But I Don’t Crave Power Like Nitish: Tejashwi
Patna: Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP at a rally in Patna on Sunday, accusing Kumar of lacking ideology and switching sides for power.
“Nitish Kumar keeps changing sides. He is our uncle, he has grown old. But he has no ideology—he only loves the chair,” Tejashwi said while addressing the Teli Hunkar rally at Miller High School Ground. “If I too had craved power, I would have joined hands with the BJP and become the Chief Minister.”
‘Give Us Five Years, Judge Us Then’
Setting the stage for the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, Tejashwi urged voters to give his party a chance. “We are still young. If we make mistakes, punish us. But let us govern for five years, and we will do more for Bihar in that time than the NDA has done in 20 years,” he claimed.
Jobs and Law & Order Under Fire
Tejashwi accused the Nitish Kumar government of hypocrisy on employment, pointing out that Kumar had once mocked his promise of job creation. “When we talked about giving jobs, Nitish Kumar taunted us, asking if we would pay salaries from our own pockets. Now, he is putting up posters and banners with employment slogans,” he said.
Criticising the law and order situation in the state, Tejashwi cited recent incidents of violence, including a shootout near Patna. “Criminals are firing 200 rounds in broad daylight, giving media interviews, and yet the government does nothing. Crime in Bihar is at its peak, but the government has turned a blind eye,” he said.
Welfare Promises and Attack on Pragati Yatra
Reiterating his welfare pledges, Tejashwi said that under the Mai Behan Maan scheme, women would receive Rs 2,500 per month, every household in Bihar would get 200 units of free electricity, and lakhs of youths would be provided jobs.
He also questioned the expenditure on Nitish Kumar’s Pragati Yatra, claiming that Rs 2.25 billion was being wasted on what he called an unnecessary tour. “I do not make dramatic statements like ‘Mar Jayenge, Mit Jayenge, Mitti Mein Mil Jayenge’ [We will die, be erased, merge with the soil] like Nitish Kumar. I fulfil what I promise,” he said.
Outreach to Teli Community
Tejashwi made a direct appeal to the Teli community, promising political representation and support. “If the Teli community takes one step with us, we will take four steps with them. Lalu Prasad has always respected this community, giving them priority in elections,” he said. He reiterated that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had given the highest number of Lok Sabha tickets to the Teli community in the last election and urged them to actively support the party.
