Nitish aide slams Tejashwi for plans to undertake Bihar yatra to highlight NDA’s failure

Senior JD (U) leader criticizes RJD leader's accusations, highlighting achievements of Nitish Kumar's government in Bihar.

A key aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who has decided to embark on a state-wide tour to highlight alleged failures of the NDA government.

Senior JD (U) leader and State Minister Ashok Choudhary on August 3 came out with a statement attacking Mr. Yadav, a day after the RJD leader announced his plans to undertake the yatra from August 15.

"In his press conference, Yadav had questioned the Nitish Kumar government's commitment to restore hiked reservations for deprived castes and alleged that despite being a part of the ruling alliance at the Centre, our party failed to secure special status for Bihar. He had also claimed that crime graph was soaring in the state," said Mr. Choudhary, who went on to debunk the charges.

The Rural Works Minister, who, incidentally, is a Dalit, trained his guns at the RJD leader over his party's "failure" to give reservations to SCs and STs in panchayats "for the 15-year period during which it ruled Bihar".

Mr. Choudhary, who was formerly with the Congress and had served in the cabinet of Mr. Yadav's mother Rabri Devi from that party's quota, pointed out that "Dalits got their constitutional right (reservation in panchayats) only after Nitish Kumar came to power in 2005".

Also Read: Bihar’s call for special category status | Explained

He added, "The RJD has, demonstrably, never been a well-wisher of Dalits and tribals. It was Nitish Kumar who set up a department for SC and ST welfare for which generous budgetary allocations are made." Choudhary also rapped Yadav for trying to put the state government in the dock over the hike in reservations for SCs, STs, and backward classes, from 50% to 65%, getting quashed by the Patna High Court.