Bihar polls: Nitish has been hijacked by BJP, says Tejashwi Yadav
Congress and the RJD will soon meet in Patna to finalise their joint strategy
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav met senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday (April 15) to discuss the Mahagathbandhan's preparedness for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
He expressed confidence that an INDIA bloc government would be formed in the state.
Yadav, accompanied by RJD MPs Manoj Jha and Sanjay Yadav, held discussions with the Congress high command at Kharge's residence.
Also Read: Bihar polls will be 'political funeral' of Nitish, claims Prashant Kishor
CM face undecided
He urged the media not to speculate about the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, stating that the alliance partners would deliberate internally and arrive at a collective decision.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Yadav alleged that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar had been "hijacked" by the BJP.
“I don’t know why everyone is so concerned about the CM face. We will discuss and decide among ourselves. Everything will become clear in time — there’s no need to worry,” the former deputy chief minister said.
“Nitish has been hijacked. Amit Shah keeps saying they will contest the elections under his leadership, but he never confirms whether Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister,” Yadav added.
He noted that the Congress and the RJD would soon meet in Patna to finalise their joint strategy and reiterated the INDIA bloc’s commitment to putting Bihar on the path to progress.
'No more NDA'
"For the last 20 years, Bihar has been under the same government, and PM Modi has been in power at the Centre for 11 years. Despite this, Bihar has received step-motherly treatment. It remains the most economically backward state, with the lowest per capita income, the lowest farmers' income, and the highest migration rate. We want to contest the election on real issues," Yadav emphasised.
"As for the Opposition, it is our duty to highlight the shortcomings of the government to the public," he added.
Yadav asserted that it is certain the NDA will not return to power in Bihar and that an INDIA bloc government will be formed.
Congress' stand
In a Hindi post on X following the meeting, Kharge said change was inevitable in Bihar.
“Today we met the former deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Tejashwi Yadav, and discussed the strength of the Mahagathbandhan. In the upcoming elections, we will offer the people of Bihar a strong, positive, just, and welfare-oriented alternative. Bihar will be freed from the BJP and its opportunistic, deceitful alliance,” he said.
“Youth, farmers, labourers, women, backward classes, extremely backward classes, and all other segments of society are yearning for a Mahagathbandhan government,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi also shared pictures of the meeting on his WhatsApp channel, calling it an “important discussion”.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, and AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru were also present at the meeting.
Alliance strategy talks
This meeting comes amid signs of tough negotiations among Mahagathbandhan allies, with each party aiming to consolidate its base ahead of the polls.
It also follows a recent Congress meeting where the party finalised its preliminary strategy for the Bihar elections.
Last month, the Congress reaffirmed that it would contest the elections as part of the INDIA bloc and emphasised that the alliance would collectively decide the chief ministerial candidate.
The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is aiming to oust the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar assembly elections scheduled for later this year.