HT interview: ‘No question of realignment with JD(U) or Nitish in future’, says Tejashwi Yadav
He countered the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim that a win for the RJD-led alliance would take Bihar back to the days of jungle raj.
After being declared the chief ministerial face of the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar, former deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has been busy touring the state, addressing around 12 rallies a day.
Taking time off for an interview with Anirban Guha Roy during the Chhath festival on Monday, Yadav, 35, shared his vision for the state, his commitment to weed out unemployment, and addressed issues such as friction within the alliance and the possibility of a rapprochement with the Janata Dal (United), even as he countered the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim that a win for the RJD-led alliance would take Bihar back to the days of jungle raj. Edited excerpts:
You are promising government jobs to every household not covered under government employment and have talked of bringing a new special law for it. Covering around 20 million households would require huge funds –– to the tune of several lakh crores. Where will the money come from? The opposition BJP is calling the promise just poll rhetoric.
I knew this question would be asked. I am here to do politics for a long time and I fully understand that talking about frivolous things or making some half-baked promises will not help me. If I am saying that one job will be given to each household in the state not having government employment, I firmly believe it is doable. When I was the deputy CM for 17 months in the Mahagathbandhan government (from August 2022 to January 2024), we gave jobs to 500,000 people including teachers.
In the same way, we have a blueprint for fulfilling all the promises we have made so far –– be it giving government jobs to each household not having government employment, making outsourced staff permanent, making jobs of Jeevika Didis permanent, waiving the interest of loans taken by the Jeevika Didis, enhancing the allowances of Panchayati Raj institution representatives, and giving financial assistance to different sections for self employment. We have talked with experts and prepared a blueprint on how the funds will be arranged for fulfilling these initiatives and also how revenue generation could be enhanced. We will unveil the blueprint in the next few days and put it before the people. It will be done before the elections.
You are fighting the polls on the agenda of development; the NDA too is showcasing how it has ushered development in its stint in power.
Union home minister Amit Shah has said industries in Bihar cannot be set up as there is a problem of availability of land. In Bihar, the problem of migration, unemployment is still rampant. The NDA, having been in power for 20 years in Bihar and 11 years in the Centre, has failed to address it. We have relentlessly worked in this direction.
The NDA has, in fact, not outlined its vision for the future of the state and instead only copied our vision and promises.
They have given free power of 125 units whereas we have promised 200 units of free power. They started giving ₹10,000 to Jeevika Didis (women who work as community mobilisers for various schemes) and enhancing the pension for senior citizens, widows and so on. This was done after we promised to launch Mai Bahin Maan Yojana and hike the pension of senior citizens and widows to ₹1,500 a month.
The ₹10,000 financial assistance to women under Mukhya Mantri Rojgar Yojana is nothing but a loan, which would have to be returned. Under our promise of Mai Bahin Maan Yojana, we will not ask for a return on the financial assistance and instead work to empower women financially. The Jeevika Didis are in a debt trap and facing a lot of financial distress. We will provide succour to them.
The RJD has given tickets to Kushwahas apart from its traditional Muslim-Yadav picks and also focused on candidates from other sections, including women and extreme backward classes (EBCs). Will this help dent the NDA’s vote bank among non-Yadav OBC groups and EBCs. Do you feel women voters, who form a sizable chunk of the state’s 75-million electorate, will support the Mahagathbandhan –– they have usually been with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U)?
We have tried to give representation to all sections of the society and not only to any specific caste groups. We have in fact given 24 tickets to women from all sections, which is one of the highest number of tickets given to women by any party in Bihar this election.
I am confident women voters would wholeheartedly support us as we have tried to understand their issues. This government has only cheated them and denied them adequate wages, but we have promised to provide them better facilities and higher allowances.
You are pitted against chief minister Nitish Kumar in this election. How big is your challenge against the JD(U) president, who is riding high on his development plank?
CM Nitish Kumar is not in good health and has lost control over the administration . He is not coming back. He will be finished after the polls. There is no challenge at all. It is all clear that the NDA will not be making Kumar the chief minister again.
The NDA has still not declared their CM face and that makes the picture clear. There is no question of CM Kumar returning as his party will cease to exist after the polls. I can vouch for it.
There is speculation that RJD may realign with the JD(U) post poll.
First, there is no question of any realignment with the JD(U) or CM Kumar in the near future. As I told you, after the polls, the JD(U) will be finished and the party will cease to exist. So, where is the question of any realignment?
How far do you see the Jan Suraaj Party?
I do not feel there is any challenge to us. There are many parties which contest polls in every election. Let them do it. It is not our concern or worry. It is people of the state who will decide.
Will the Mahagathbandhan get a clear majority ?
We are going to form a government and get a clear majority this time. Last time, in 2020, there were a lot of malpractices and we lost many seats due to poll discrepancies; we failed to form the government by falling short of a few MLAs. We are alert this time and will not allow such electoral malpractices or any kind of manipulation to happen. We will form the government. I am fully confident about it.
Your elder brother and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav has floated his own party and has even put up a candidate against you in Raghopur.
This is the beauty of democracy. Everybody has the right to fight polls and it is the people who decide their elected representatives. My brother has formed his party and is contesting polls. There is nothing wrong. He is still my own brother and we have a blood relationship.
The NDA is saying that the RJD’s return will usher in ‘jungle raj’ in the state. They are saying that law and order will take a beating.
This is all propaganda. Let us go by the NCRB data of 2023. Out of the top five crime prone states, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are among the first two. In Bihar, law and order has deteriorated over the past years. For me, maintaining law and order will be the foremost priority. To attract investment in Bihar, law and order and energy are paramount. I have already said that there will be no compromise on crime and corruption and I will spare nobody.
There have been reports of internal conflict in the alliance especially between the RJD and the Congress.
See, friendly contests have happened in the past in many elections in Jharkhand and other states in few seats among partners of any coalition. It happens. But, we are trying to resolve certain tricky issues and things are taking shape. All allies are united in this election. There is no friction.
You have talked of throwing the Waqf ( Amendment) Act, 2025 in the dustbin if you win. The BJP has countered it saying it is not possible as it is a Central act.
What I meant to say is that we will not implement the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in Bihar, if our government comes. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already said the same earlier. Of course, the matter is still in the Supreme Court. But, yes, the state has its rights and can stop implementation of any act in its own domain.
