Tejashwi Yadav
| Photo Credit: ANI
In the run-up to the election year in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday (January 8, 2025) made a scathing attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alleging that the Bihar Chief Minister was into the habit of touching the feet of officers to get the work done.
Mr. Yadav issued the statement in Buxar during his ongoing workers’ Samvad. He asserted that the tired Chief Minister with retired officers had turned the hopes of the youth of Bihar into disappointment.
Last year in November during an event in Darbhanga, Mr. Kumar had made an attempt to touch the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing criticism from Opposition leaders, with RJD chief Lalu Prasad calling him a helpless Chief Minister.
Even in July 2024, Mr. Kumar had offered to touch the feet of an engineer for the timely completion of J.P. Ganga Path. Recently he was also seen touching the feet of former BJP MP R.K. Sinha in a public function.
“It is very unfortunate that when a Chief Minister stands in the Assembly and says school timings should be changed, even this work is not done by his officers. You never know when he touches anyone’s feet. It is very much happening that he has to touch the feet of engineers and other officers to get the work done,” Mr. Yadav said.
He added, “There is a complete administrative chaos in Bihar. The posts of Director General of Police and Chief Secretary in Bihar have become an ornamental post after 2018. A retired Chief Minister is running the government with retired officers. Even in his Yatra, he is not taking the DGP with him and the Chief Secretary is standing far away. Ninety per cent of upright IAS and IPS officers have been neglected and given shunting posts.”
Mr. Yadav pointed out that as per the latest report of the NITI Aayog, Bihar is on top in unemployment and migration.
“It’s been twenty years of double engine NDA government in Bihar and 11 years of NDA government in Centre but despite that Bihar is not developing. The Chief Minister is also not able to get the special category status nor the special package. He cannot get it now, when will he get it?” Mr. Yadav asked.
‘Durgati Yatra’
The RJD leader also raised questions on the ongoing Pragati Yatra of Mr. Kumar, terming it Durgati Yatra (Misery).
“Hundreds of crores are being wasted on false propaganda through advertisements on Pragati Yatra (Journey of Development), I will call it Durgati Yatra (Journey of Misery). I failed to understand whom he is interacting with? He only talks to a few officers of Patna. There were so many Central Ministers from Bihar, what is their contribution. There are two Deputy Chief Ministers in Bihar, what is their performance? When I was Deputy Chief Minister for 17 months, I fulfilled the promise and gave jobs, conducted caste-based surveys and increased the reservation,” Mr. Yadav said.
He alleged that Mr. Kumar had ruined the State instead of making the lives of Biharis prosperous. Mr. Yadav claimed that for two decades, all exams had been subject to paper leaks and fraud.
When asked about any chances of having an alliance with the Janata Dal (United), Mr. Yadav categorically stated there was no question of any compromise with Mr. Kumar.
Published – January 08, 2025 08:15 pm IST
