‘Betrayal’: Tejashwi leads Oppn’s retort on Nitish’s RS bid

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to enter the Rajya Sabha was a “betrayal” of the people’s mandate.

Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged the BJP has always been opposed to Dalits and OBCs, and with Kumar leaving the CM’s post, it will seek to implement its agenda in the socialist stronghold.

“The BJP has done a Maharashtra in Bihar,” he said.

“We have been saying from the very beginning that the BJP will not let Nitish Kumar remain the chief minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development is against the mandate of the people and amounts to a betrayal of it,” he said. Alleging that the BJP had “hijacked” Kumar, Yadav said that was the reason the veteran was now moving to the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot expressed scepticism regarding Kumar’s decision, alleging that the decision may have been made under pressure.

“I do not understand why you (Nitish Kumar) contested the elections, sought the support of the people, and won their votes. Now you are withdrawing. Who is pressuring you to do this? Are you acting of your own free will, or is this a reluctant decision? It’s unclear,” Pilot told reporters here.

He pointed out that Nitish Kumar has a history of frequently changing his stance.

CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya accused Kumar of betraying the mandate given by the people. “It’s not about whatever gameplan the NDA may have been hatching or the transition that the BJP desires in Bihar. It’s an outright betrayal of the mandate that the NDA sought and got in the name of Nitish Kumar,” he said.