RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Credit: PTI Photo
Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday dismissed speculations of a realignment with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that the time was up for the "tired" JD(U) president.
Yadav lost his job as the deputy chief minister in January when Kumar abruptly returned to the BJP-led NDA.
Talking to reporters in Banka district, the RJD leader challenged him to use his clout with the Centre to get a caste census done besides securing special status for the state and a relief package for areas devastated by recent floods.
"The question (of joining hands with Nitish Kumar) does not arise. His time is up. He is tired and no more able to govern Bihar", said Yadav, now the leader of the opposition, in reply to a query as to whether he was ready for a realignment if the offer came from the JD(U) supremo.
Notably, Yadav's party, headed by his father Lalu Prasad, has had two partnerships, both short-lived, with the JD(U). The two parties first allied in 2015, when the coalition registered a spectacular victory in the assembly polls, though Kumar went back to the NDA two years later.
Yadav noted that the BJP, which now does not have a majority in Lok Sabha, was "dependent" on JD(U) to hold on to power.
"Still, Nitish Kumar failed to secure a special category status. He has not been able to put pressure on the Narendra Modi government for a caste census. Recently, when floods hit, no top central leader came nor was any special aid announced," alleged Yadav.
He added: "In 2008, when my father was the Railway Minister, all types of help, including a Rs 1,000 crore package, was given for flood relief. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had also toured the affected region."
Yadav, who is on a state-wide tour during which he will seek to galvanize party cadres for the assembly polls due next year, also disclosed he will be visiting Jharkhand where elections have been announced.
"I will leave for Ranchi tomorrow. We will defeat the NDA in alliance with JMM, Congress and the Left (in Jharkhand). By-elections have been announced for Bihar also. We had three of these seats in the 2020 assembly polls. We will try to win all the four in by-polls," said Yadav.
The RJD leader made light of the "Hindu Swabhiman Yatra" which Union minister Giriraj Singh, a senior BJP leader, has proposed to take out from Bhagalpur later this week.
"Giriraj Singh has been a Union minister for 10 years. He has no achievements to showcase. So he is back to his pet theme of Hindu-Muslim," said Yadav.