Ahead of the Lok Sabha election with seat-sharing talks under way in both ruling and Opposition parties, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday declared that the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no scope in the State and that the party has become “nervous” in the run-up to polls.
Sidelining the rumours of a rift within the Grand Alliance in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader stressed that there is no question of “if and but” in the alliance. He pointed out that the Mahagathbandhan is united and working with full strength.
Mr. Yadav’s statement came in reply to the BJP leaders who have been claiming that the Mahagathbandhan will not be able to win a single seat and before the election, there would be a big split in the alliance. However, the Deputy CM showed a bold face after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended the Dahi-Chura fest organised by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad at 10, Circular Road residence on Monday.
‘BJP spreading rumours’
While interacting with the press after inaugurating the 67th National School Games Cricket Championship (2023-2024) Under-17 (Boys) at Urja Stadium in Patna, Mr. Yadav said: “Ever since the Mahagathbandhan has been formed, the BJP has become nervous. The way our government has provided jobs and increased reservation after the caste-based survey, the BJP are afraid of us. No matter what anyone says, it will not make any difference. This is the first time in the history of India that over two lakhs jobs have been given in just 70 days by our government and seeing all the achievements, the BJP has not worked except spreading rumours about us. Let the [Lok Sabha] election come, there is no scope for BJP in Bihar,” Mr. Yadav said.
In just 70-odd days, the Education Department of Bihar has recruited 2,16,823 teachers in the State.
Mr. Yadav, who had dabbled in cricket earlier and was once a part of an IPL squad before entering politics, tried his hands in the stadium with a few shots hitting fours and sixes.
‘People are the boss’
Drawing some parallels with cricket and politics, Mr. Yadav said: “I believe in the team. It should not be like one player is hitting fours and sixes, while players are getting out at the other end. Politics is played with everyone’s cooperation and the people are the boss in democracy. We are working to live up to their expectations. The talk of a rift in the alliance is baseless and useless. There is no if and but in the alliance. I don’t need to give clarification on such topics which do not exist.”
He further stressed that a separate Sports department has been created to promote different sports in the State.
“The people of Bihar are talented and they are getting the opportunity to play at international level as well. We have to work in every field, be it sports, education, health, infrastructure or farming. The Bihar government is doing development work everywhere under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The atmosphere is changing in Bihar,” Mr. Yadav said.
He promised that the State government would soon make sports infrastructure so good that even IPL tournaments and international cricket matches would be held in Bihar.
