PATNA: Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday dismissed speculation over any truce with chief minister Nitish Kumar led Janata Dal (United) ahead of the state assembly election due in October-November this year.
Tejashwi virtually lost cool when a journalist asked whether he would welcome Nitish Kumar in grand alliance fold, Tejashwi said, “Who gives you such ideas? Why will we welcome him? There is no offer, don’t talk nonsense.”
RJD’s chief ministerial candidate said that only RJD chief Lalu Prasad and he (Tejashwi) was authorised to make any such offer, and there will be no offer. At the executive committee meeting of RJD, only Lalu and Tejashwi were authorised to make any policy decision.
Tejashwi’s remark assumed significance in the wake of former chief minister Rabri Devi’s statement that RJD would consider joining hands with Nitish if the latter snapped ties with BJP first and also show his willingness to do so before assembly polls.
Tejashwi’s denial to accept Nitish in the grand alliance fold followed a confrontation between him and Nitish in the state legislative assembly where the latter claimed that he had shaped political career of Lalu and helped him become chief minister for the first time.
Turning towards Tejashwi, Nitish had told in the assembly that even people from your caste had refused to make him (Lalu) CM, but he lent support to him that time.
“It was me who had made your father what he became (CM),” Nitish had remarked.
In response to Nitish’s remark, RJD leader said that instead he had helped Nitish become chief minister twice. “We made him chief minister of Bihar twice by lending our support to him,” Tejashwi retorted.
Earlier during the day, hundreds of RJD workers staged a protest outside party office in the state capital in support of their demand to include 65 per cent reservation for ST, ST, OBC and EBCs in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to give benefits of hike reservation cap.
They alleged that youths belonging to reserved categories were denied benefits of hike in reservation quota in government jobs due to non-inclusion of it in the 9th schedule of the Constitution. The high court has already turned down the hiked quota.
The protestors also described BJP of anti-reservation and ‘reservation eater’. They also slammed JD(U) for lending its support to saffron party on the issue.
“We will fight for our right both inside assembly and outside,” said an RJD worker at the dharna site.