Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav dismissed any possibility of reunion with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, refusing to speculate on political adjustments ahead of the upcoming election.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Yadav spoke at a press conference after a protest organized by RJD on the so-called “theft and diet of NDA reservations”.
When asked if he would consider teaming up with Janata Dahl (Manchester United) President Kumar, Yadav replied: “Why are we going to work together? Why are you trying to divert your attention?”
Media reports show that Kumar, who has recently turned 74, is worried that the Bharatiya Janata party may seek leadership changes after the election. Some reports say RJD is ready to take advantage of this situation by providing a readjustment.
Yadav dismissed this speculation. “In my party, there is no proposal from anyone. Only RJD President Lalu Ji and I are authorized to make any decisions about the alliance. Please don’t talk nonsense,” the news agency PTI said in its report.
He criticized Kumar’s public statement, saying: “He no longer makes sense, which is evident in the quality of language he uses in public places.”
Yadav reviewed the example of the Prime Minister who tried to get in touch with Narendra Modi’s footsteps, and Yadav said: “Is this a chief minister of a country?” He added: “The day may not be far away when Kumar landed at the feet of his two current representatives, Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary.”
Yadav accused BJP of pushing the “anti-reserved agenda” in Bihar. “That’s why state lawyers in the Supreme Court didn’t argue correctly when they heard the petition for quota,” he said.
The state government challenged the PATNA High Court, which shelved legislation to increase the quota for caste deprivation from 50% to 65%.
“We are working to restore the quota. We are fighting in court and on the street,” Yadav, who took power when he proposed a rise in quotas in November 2023.
He criticized Kumar for keeping silent on the issue. “He cannot protect legislation from judicial intervention by putting these influences on the ninth timetable of (the Constitution)”, Yadav said.
He also accused Kumar of not promoting the national caste census. “When we were in power together, he did not seem to care about the demand for the national caste census.”
(Input from PTI)
