Rejecting the possibility of any electoral dividend for the BJP from the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav told The Hindu that the INDIA bloc should overlook small disagreements and contest the Lok Sabha poll together. Lashing out at JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for deserting the Mahagathbandhan and joining hands with the BJP, the RJD leader said his main fight is with the BJP.
Mr. Yadav kicked off his Jan Vishwas Yatra (‘people’s trust journey’) from Muzaffarpur on February 20 to cover a distance of over 450 km and address three rallies in three different districts. He halted for the night in Motihari in East Champaran district, where Mahatma Gandhi commenced his first mass campaign, the Champaran Satyagraha, in 1917. Mr. Yadav spoke to The Hindu at the district guest house, where he was staying. He explained why Bihar CM Nitish Kumar may have switched sides again and asserted that the RJD’s fight was with the BJP. He said Mr. Kumar was a “tired CM” with a “politically expired party” in the Janata Dal-United (JD-U).
Excerpts from the interview:
