New Delhi/ Patna: Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has walked back his earlier assertion of being the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan, days after declaring himself as the people’s choice for the top post.
Following a key alliance meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, Tejashwi appeared to soften his stance, stating that the issue of the CM face would be “considered” at a subsequent meeting scheduled in Patna on April 17.
“Why are you worrying about the face?” Tejashwi said in response to media questions after the Delhi meet. “This is our issue. If we hold a meeting and consider, then all things will come out. There is no need for you people to worry about this.”
The shift in tone comes less than ten days after Tejashwi, while addressing a public programme on April 8, proclaimed himself as the future Chief Minister of Bihar. “If your son Tejashwi Yadav becomes the Chief Minister of Bihar, then all those who are settled on the banks of the drain will be given a permanent house,” he had said, triggering political ripples.
His revised remarks on Tuesday have reportedly caused unease within sections of the Mahagathbandhan, with political observers interpreting them as an outcome of internal discontent within the alliance.
Despite Tejashwi’s ambiguity, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) maintained that he remains the clear choice for the top job. “Tejashwi Yadav is the choice of 14 crore people of Bihar, the future of Bihar and a ray of hope,” said RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari. “The people of Bihar have accepted Tejashwi Yadav as their Chief Minister. He is the face of the Mahagathbandhan.”
The 2020 assembly elections also saw Tejashwi as the alliance’s CM face, with the RJD emerging as the single largest party. Party leaders insist that nothing has changed since then.
