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:
‘Want to tell people how Nitish ditched mandate’
Why did you decide to embark on the Jan Vishwas Yatra?
It is important to tell people what I did during the 17 months in the government. It is my accountability, and people have every right to know what I delivered as the Deputy Chief Minister of the State. I want to tell the people of Bihar how Nitish Kumar has ditched the people’s mandate by taking oath as a Chief Minister nine times, and three times in just one term. In a democratic set-up, such a political flip-flop is not acceptable. I am reaching out to the people to tell them what kind Chief Minister we have — who changes his mind so frequently. On one hand, he pledges to die rather than go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and on the other hand, he goes and sits in the lap of the communal party. He pledges to throw Prime Minister Narendra Modi out of power and then he forms a government with him. Does he have any ideology? I don’t think so.
What, in your view, could be the possible reasons for Nitish Kumar to break his alliance with the RJD? Was there any pressure on him from the top level of the country?
He is the better person to answer this question but, yes, he was in pain because I was working hard to ensure that the promise I made must get fulfilled. He was also in pain because his party, the JD(U), was third in Bihar, and the RJD was first. I am still wondering and thinking what could be the reason behind breaking the alliance because he also could not explain it properly. I know the reason why he came to us, but really don’t know why he left us. He was there with us to stop Narendra Modi and his ‘operation lotus’. The BJP was breaking the legislators and parliamentarians of its own alliance partners. Even Nitish-ji had said that the BJP was trying to break his party and that’s the reason he came to us with folded hands. We helped him because our goal was the same — to stop the politics of hatred and to maintain communal harmony. He had promised to unite the Opposition and he was offered the post of convener of the INDIA bloc, but he did not accept it.
Who is the bigger threat for the RJD in the upcoming Lok Sabha election — the JD(U) or the BJP?
Our fight is with the BJP. Nitish-ji is a tired Chief Minister and the JD(U) is a politically expired party. Nitish-ji and his party are nowhere in the fight. He has no vote bank left after his latest flip-flop. Even his own voters are angry with him and will teach him a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha election as well as the Assembly election in 2025. Nitish-ji is a habitual turncoat and nobody will trust him any more. Even the BJP knows it very well.
During the 17 months in government, did you ever get the feeling that Mr. Kumar will leave the grand alliance?
Not exactly, but the way he was not showing interest in my work — in which I had decided to give jobs to 1.5 lakh public health cadre officers being the Health Minister — somewhere it struck me. I was wondering why he was sitting on the files and had not given Cabinet approval. Nitish-ji was also upset with me because I had announced a hike in the the monthly honorarium of ASHAS (Accredited Social Health Activists) and ‘Mamta’ (scheme for mothers and newborns) workers. I was also rigid about implementing old pension schemes. Several other projects and vacancies were in the pipeline but the files were never put up in the Cabinet meeting. During the investors’ meeting, a ₹55,000 crore MoU was signed for the first time. We did the caste-based headcount, apart from giving nearly five lakhs jobs. All this work was done by me and I had this feeling that he was not liking it.
It is easy to blame Mr. Kumar for political flip-flops but the RJD and BJP are equally responsible for welcoming him every time.
No, it’s nothing as such, for the first we (the RJD and JD-U) came together in 2015, and we had no idea that he would leave us in 2017. You have also seen the kind of atmosphere created on the pretext of a chargesheet against me in the IRCTC case. However, when Nitish-ji returned to us in 2022, he himself said that Tejashwi is being intentionally harassed by the Central agencies. This time also, I was not in favour of going with Nitish-ji but all the Opposition parties came to a consensus that we all should fight together against the BJP. Nitish-ji apologised in front of Lalu-ji and my father has a big heart, so he forgave him. An old man sitting in the post of CM and asking for forgiveness, and taking a pledge to die rather than go with the BJP, and pressure from other regional parties — so we thought of giving him one more chance with an aim to stop the BJP in 2024.
Mr. Lalu Prasad said that doors were always open for Mr. Kumar even after the latest flip-flop. Is it so?
I will not take any decision on such a call; let it be decided by the people of Bihar. In fact, Nitish-ji has no caliber left in him to work. There is no future for JD(U). He has no vision nor stability. He criticises the RJD as well as the BJP. So, who will trust him now?
What is likely to be the impact of the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir before the Lok Sabha election.
I don’t think that it would make any impact in Bihar or any other States of the country. Even Lord Ram wants people to get a good and peaceful life, along with employment and other basic facilities. The real issues are inflation, poverty, unemployment, good education, and good health facilities. I don’t think the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir would add any additional votes to BJP. However, people of such a mentality are already there in the party who think on this particular line.
The INDIA bloc is on the brink of collapse after Mamata Banerjee of the TMC, Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference (NC) showing the least interest.
Mamata Banerjee has taken her own decisions and she is alone capable enough to take on the BJP. However, it’s my personal opinion that all should contest elections together. If these parties believe that democracy and the Constitution are in danger, they should be ready to sacrifice small things.
Will Rahul Gandhi benefit from his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra?
Of course he will secure the benefit when he is roaming among the people and reaching out to them with valid reasons. I am not specifically saying that he will get benefit in the election but yes, nobody can doubt the long-term benefit. He has all the calibre to become the Prime Minister.
