Tejashwi Yadav to start yatra today to expose' Nitish Kumar
His elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, will also participate in his statewide campaign against Mr Kumar.
Patna: Former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav is all set to kick start his “jansandesh apman (mandate betrayal) yatra” from Wednesday.
While leaving for Motihari in East Champaran on Tuesday, Mr Yadav said he would begin his campaign “by seeking forgiveness from the people for accompanying Nitish Kumar on his padayatra in April”, which was part of the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha.
He added, “Nitish Kumar betrayed the people’s mandate to remain in power, and cases against me and my family were part of a well-planned conspiracy by the BJP to destabilise the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. Nitish used me as a pawn to join hands with the BJP.”
His elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, will also participate in his statewide campaign against Mr Kumar.
Besides targeting Mr Kumar for “betraying mandate”, Mr Yadav and other RJD leaders are expected to travel across the state and seek public support for the party’s proposed “BJP hatao desh bachao rally” in Patna on August 27.
“Nitish Kumar was talking about Sangh-mukt Bharat till a few months ago and now he is sitting in the lap of the RSS-BJP. I will tell people about this during my yatra. I will ask them to attend our rally against the BJP.”
Top Opposition leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, are expected to share the dais with RJD chief Lalu Yadav to show their unity against the BJP.
Sources said Mr Lalu Yadav had been trying to persuade JD(U) senior leader Sharad Yadav to join hands in “his fight” against Nitish Kumar.
Mr Sharad Yadav is reportedly upset over Mr Kumar’s decision to form a government in Bihar with the BJP.
Around a fortnight ago, Mr Kumar had snapped ties with the Grand Secular Alliance after Mr Lalu Yadav announced that his son, Tejashwi Yadav, would not resign as Bihar’s deputy chief minister despite corruption charges against him.
Hours after Mr Kumar stepped out of the secular alliance, the BJP extended its support and formed a new government, leaving little option for the RJD and Congress.
According to the RJD chief, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has committed “political suicide” by joining hands with the communal forces and “he will not get more than two seats in the next parliamentary elections”.
He also denied the charges of his links with the sand mafia in Bihar. According to Mr Yadav, “Allegations that sand mafia Subhash Yadav has been funding the RJD is not true. I have not taken a single penny from anyone.”