RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday signalled that Bihar could see more than one Deputy Chief Minister if the Grand Alliance comes to power.
“There will be more Deputy Chief Ministers, you will get to know about this in a few days,” said Yadav, the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, while speaking to the media.
The former Deputy Chief Minister also launched a sharp attack on the incumbent NDA government, claiming that the people of Bihar are “angry and disillusioned” after two decades of misrule. “The present government has been exploiting the people of Bihar for 20 years. The public wants change; they are unhappy and disappointed,” he said.
While addressing a rally in Saharsa as part of his campaign for the upcoming assembly elections, Yadav took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of favouring his home state over Bihar. “PM Modi sets up factories in Gujarat and wants victory in Bihar, but this will not happen. We are Biharis; we don’t fear ‘Baharis’ (outsiders),” he said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
Reaffirming his stance on self-governance, Yadav added that Bihar would be ruled by its own people, not outsiders.
The comments came a day after Yadav was formally declared the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan at a press conference in Patna. Alongside him, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, who had driven a tough bargain during seat-sharing talks, was announced as the deputy chief ministerial candidate.
The announcement, made barely two weeks before polling begins, leaves the opposition alliance with limited time to mobilise and mount a united, state-wide campaign.
Tejashwi, who will once again contest from his traditional Raghopur seat, expressed gratitude to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for backing his candidature. The Congress had until recently avoided projecting a chief ministerial face, despite Yadav’s growing popularity and visible camaraderie with Rahul Gandhi during the Voter Adhikar Yatra.