PATNA: Five years after being ditched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav once again took oath as his deputy. Tejashwi asserted that nothing can be greater than those behind the formation of the Grand Alliance have once again come back to work together. He also said that his government will work to provide employment and better education and healthcare services.
In an exclusive interview with The New Indian, Tejashwi Yadav, son of former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, said, “The basic needs of the society are education, healthcare, employment, proper law and order situation — where problems of everyone are heard and action is taken.”
He asserted that Bihar might be a land-locked state and faces issues of flood and drought. “But if you have will to work then everything is possible. Despite limited resources, we will work. But nothing is much better than the Grand Alliance, which was formed by Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, is once again being led by Nitish Kumar himself,” he said, adding that today a message has been sent across the country.
He also said that the pre-poll alliance partners of the Grand Alliance, including Congress and the Left parties, supported the decision of forming the government.
“We know there are lot of issues and challenges, but we will work with good intention and with proper cooperation, we will be successful,” the RJD leader said.
When asked about his 2020 poll manifesto promise of providing 10 lakh jobs to youths, the RJD leader said, “Today’s Cabinet meeting was for the trust vote in the assembly. Once trust vote is completed and Cabinet is expanded, we will share the plan.” He said he also spoke to Kumar on two issues which also included unemployment.
“He (Chief Minister) directed the people to fill the vacancies. And once the Cabinet is expanded, good news will be shared,” Tejashwi said after attending the first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening. To another question, he said, “Nitish Kumar said clearly today after the oath ceremony that they (BJP) won’t be able to do a 2019 in 2024.”
Earlier in the day, Tejashwi’s mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi, his wife Rajshri and his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav had attended the swearing-in ceremony in Raj Bhawan here. Lalu Prasad, who is in Delhi and not keeping well, skipped the event.
Tejashwi was sworn in as the Deputy CM of Bihar in 2015. However, Kumar’s Janata Dal-United snapped its ties in 2017 and joined hands with the BJP, which it dumped in 2012. After five years, once again history is being repeated and the JD-U has once again parted ways with the BJP in the state.