PATNA: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi advocated for fighting upcoming Bihar assembly elections unitedly, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday declared himself as chief ministerial face of opposition mahagathbandhan or grand alliance in the state.
Addressing ‘Musahar-Bhuiya Maharally’ in the state capital, Tejashwi said that people from economically backward sections of society would get benefits under Mai-Behan Samman Yojna’ if RJD-led mahagathbandhan was voted to power and he was made chief minister.
RJD leader said that he would provide land for constructing pucca houses and provide jobs to the poor after becoming the chief minister. “If I become the chief minister, I will ensure that the promises made to you is fulfilled. Though I may be younger (than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar) but I stick to my words,” he said in an unveiling attack on the chief minister Nitish Kumar.
To substantiate his statement, opposition leader in Bihar assembly said that he provided five lakh jobs to youths while serving as deputy chief minister in the mahagathbandhan government led by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
“The doors of appointment have been opened now. The government has initiated the process of recruitment in various departments, which was started during mahagathbandhan government,” he told the gathering amid applause from the crowd.
Tejashwi appealed to people to remove ‘khatara’ government in Bihar. “The vehicle becomes ‘khatara’ (obsolete) after 15 years. The Nitish Kumar government is 20 years old and it should be removed,” he said, adding that the removal of NDA government would pave way for their uplift.
Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tejashwi said that he (PM) will visit the state frequently due to elections. “Not only the PM but also his ministerial colleagues will make a beeline to Bihar. But they will forget everything once elections are over,” he asserted.
The RJD leader alleged that BJP was trying to relieve Dalits and Backwards of their rights inscribed in the Constitution and claimed that the saffron party would end reservation guaranteed in the Constitution. He said that BJP was attempting to change the Constitution to end reservation.
On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi underlined the need of fighting assembly elections in Bihar unitedly and said that NDA could be defeated only when the magagathabandhan contested the election unitedly. “If we fight election separately, it would be difficult to remove the saffron party from power in the state. So, we have decided to contest the assembly elections in Bihar in alliance with RJD and Left parties,” he said, while addressing office-bearers of Congress at state party headquarters.
Reacting to the development, RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said that there was no doubt about Tejashwi becoming the chief minister if grand alliance was voted to power. “Everybody in the alliance considers him as the most suitable face for the CM’s post,” he said.
