NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to form the Mahagathbandhan government was a "slap on the BJP's face" and a similar coming together of Opposition parties would be replicated across the country, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said on Friday after meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, who met Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence here, accused the BJP of working to finish regional parties and asserted that if they are finished, the Opposition and democracy will be finished as well.
Yadav, on his first visit to the national capital after taking the oath of office, also said the people of Bihar can never be scared or bought out, asserting that "Bihari bikaau nahi, tikaau hota hai' (People of Bihar cannot be bought out, they are reliable)".
Yadav, who also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja, said the pre-poll constituents of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) have welcomed Nitish Kumar's decision.
"This government will run strongly because this government is a government for the poor. It is a government of the people. The decision by Nitish Kumar at the right time, you can say, is a slap on the BJP's face," he told reporters outside 10 Janpath.
Yadav said all parties have joined hands against the BJP in the Bihar Assembly, and added that now this is going to be replicated across the whole country.
Yadav's visit to Delhi also holds significance as Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad is here and the finalisation of names of ministers is learnt to have been discussed between the two.
Yadav also held discussions with Gandhi on the cabinet expansion.
The cabinet, which at present comprises only Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Yadav as his deputy, is due for expansion early next week.
Responding to questions about differences and trading of charges that had taken place between Kumar and him, Yadav said, "Nitish ji made accusations against me and I have accused him in the past, we are one family having socialist ideology. Feuds occur in every house, but the decision he took looking at the situation prevailing in the country, we welcome that."
The legacy of socialists that has been given to us by our ancestors, no one can take that away, he asserted.
He also recalled instances in the Assembly that displayed the warmth in ties between Kumar and him.
"On one occasion in the Assembly, I was angry and Nitish ji had said, 'he is the son of my brother-like friend'. There was affection even then, there was a relationship, trust," Yadav said.
The diversity is the beauty of the country and "we have to save the country", Yadav said, adding that therefore the RJD-JD(U) joined hands.
"People are suffering due to inflation. There are those who want to rule by creating Hindu-Muslim tensions, put the Constitution and democracy in danger, they want to break the brotherhood. Bihar has once again given a new direction to the country," he said.
"For that we thank the chief minister, Sonia Gandhi ji, Yechury ji, Dipankar ji(Bhattacharya, CPI-ML general secretary), Raja ji and Lalu (Prasad) ji," he said.
Yadav said Lalu Prasad fought against communal forces and social justice.
"He (Lalu) never got scared nor did he bow before such forces," Yadav added.
He accused the BJP of destroying regional parties, citing the happenings in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
"BJP wants to scare those who get scared and buy those who are willing to be bought out," Yadav alleged.
"Constitutional institutions are being destroyed. Be it Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation or Income Tax (Department), their condition is worse than police stations. Who do they want to scare? We, the people of Bihar, are not going to be scared. I have said 'Bihari bikaau nahi, tikaau hota hai' (People of Bihar cannot be bought out, they are reliable)," he said.
They will never compromise with their self-respect, Yadav said, adding that Bihar and Nitish Kumar have shown this.
Alleging that the BJP wants to destroy regional parties, he said regional parties are mostly of backwards and Dalits and the BJP wants to finish such parties.
"You wanted to finish Nitish Kumar, you created division in Ram Vilas Paswan ji's party. If regional parties are finished, Opposition will be finished, democracy will be finished. If democracy is finished, the country will be run in a dictatorial manner," he said.
Earlier, he met Yechury and Raja here and discussed the developments in Bihar as well as the way forward.
After the meeting, Yadav said in a tweet that he met the two Left leaders and had a positive discussion on the current social, economic and political scenario prevailing in the country and Bihar.
"Bihar, the land which gave birth to democracy, has again shown the way to the country," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.
Yechury said it was a pleasure to meet Tejashwi and greet him on the formation of a secular Mahagatbandhan government.
"We are confident that Bihar will finally have a government which will listen to and take care of all the people of Bihar especially the poor, downtrodden and the marginalised," the CPI(M) general secretary said in a tweet.
During the meetings, Yadav was also accompanied by RJD MP Manoj Jha and his political adviser Sanjay Yadav.
Kumar and Yadav had taken oath on Wednesday, a day after the JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD, the Congress and some other parties to form a 'Mahagathbandhan' government.