Patna: As Bihar heads into the second phase of Assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Pasad Yadav launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of hypocrisy and corruption.
Speaking at a press conference on the eve of voting, the RJD candidate from Raghopur constituency questioned the Prime Minister’s choice of political company. “Does the Prime Minister consider Ullas Pandey, Manorama Devi, Anand Mohan, Sunil Pandey, Anant Singh, and Raj Ballabh to be saints and sages?” Yadav asked, referring to politicians with alleged criminal backgrounds. “We are talking about development, but the Prime Minister is talking about guns. I wonder what web series he is watching.”
Yadav further alleged that PM Modi “patted the back” of Vipin Sharma, the main accused in the Srijan scam, by granting him a special pass and inviting him to the airport. He claimed the Prime Minister had turned a blind eye to “the corruption of Samrat Choudhary, Dilip Jaiswal, and Mangal Pandey.”
The RJD leader accused the Election Commission of bias, claiming that it was “trying to wash away the BJP’s sins.” He criticised the delay in releasing gender-wise voter turnout figures even four days after the first phase of voting. “This is a joke in the age of technology,” he said. “The Commission is dead. CCTV cameras in counting centres are shutting down.”
Yadav also raised questions over the deployment of 208 police companies from BJP-ruled states and claimed that 68% of police observers were drawn from the same. “Why not from Jharkhand, Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, or Kerala?” he asked. “The Home Minister is camping here, giving instructions to officials. Money power, deceit, and fraud are being used—but Biharis will not allow outsiders to take over.”
Declaring that the campaign phase was over, Yadav said his party had held 171 public meetings and sensed a clear mood for change across Bihar. “Unemployment and migration are troubling people. After 20 years of NDA rule, Bihar remains at the bottom,” he said. “This time, people want opportunities within the state—they don’t want to come home only for Chhath and Diwali, but to stay here permanently.”
