Inside Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Yadav fumes at BJP over CBI raids

PATNA: Stung by raids on a number of RJD leaders, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday called the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax (I-T) department “three jamaai” (sons in-law), which the BJP sent to states where it was not in power.

Taking part in a debate on the motion of confidence moved by the new ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, Yadav accused the BJP of having tried to “break” chief minister Nitish Kumar’s party in a bid to “wipe out socialist ideology”.

“My father Lalu Prasad, mother Rabri Devi, my sisters and I are all paying the price for our commitment to socialism. The CM and I have the same ideology. You (BJP) cannot reap what we socialists have sown,” said Yadav.

The RJD heir apparent also expressed dismay over a section of the media saying that a mall being raided by CBI in Gurugram belonged to him.

“These media outlets should do some research. It belongs to someone based in Haryana, and was inaugurated by a BJP MP,” said Yadav.

“People sitting in Delhi do not understand the spirit of Bihar. Intimidation does not work here. Sending three ‘jamaai’ is not going to scare us. The BJP is looking like a wedding procession without the groom,” remarked the young leader in an apparent dig at the saffron party’s inability to decide on who would now be the leader of the opposition.

Yadav also said that Nitish Kumar has taken a “courageous decision” and that brought a “new ray of hope” for the people of the country.

BJP leaders should also remember that the CM was called a socialist by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he remarked.

“You are all scared of facing 2024 polls as the united opposition in Bihar will trounce the BJP. Hence the three ‘jamaai’ are being sent,” he added.

BJP leaders rose in protest against the repeated use of the word “jamaai”.

They were told by deputy speaker Maheshwar Hazari that he will look into the rulebook and if the term was unparliamentary, it would be expunged.