Will BJP keep its Bihar Assembly poll promise, Tejashwi asks Nitish

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday demanded from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to let people know whether his new ally BJP will keep its pre-2015 assembly polls promise to distribute scooty to girls, laptop to students and colour TV to Dalit/Mahadalit families.

"Nitish Kumar should tell people whether he will ensure free distribution of scooty, laptops and colour TVs as promised by its new ally BJP during the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls," Tejashwi Yadav, 28, told the media minutes before he left Patna for Motihari in East Champaran district to start his "Janadesh Apman Yatra".

A cricketer-turned-politician and the younger son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi is set to start his first political yatra from Champaran from August 9, where Mahatma Gandhi launched his first satyagrah in 1917.

The yatra aims to "expose Nitish Kumar's double speak" and his "opportunistic alliance" with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the new government after dumping the previous Grand Alliance government partners -- RJD and Congress.

"With Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP going against the mandate and forming the new government in Bihar and a BJP-led government also at the Centre, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U)-BJP government should distribute scooty, laptops and colour TV as promised, because now there is no shortage of funds," Tejashwi said.

According to him, the BJP's vision document for Bihar promises scooties for 5,000 meritorious girls, laptops for 50,000 meritorious students, colour TV for every Dalit/ Mahadalit family and dhoti-saree for every poor family in the state.

Tejashwi said the BJP had promised scooty to counter a scheme of bicycles to girl students in Bihar.

"Why are BJP leaders silent over their promises made to the people during the last Bihar assembly polls? It's a different issue that the mandate of polls was against them, as BJP-led NDA was defeated badly by the Grand Alliance. But the BJP has managed to come to power, so now it should distribute now," he said.

Tejashwi said: "Nitish Kumar was talking about RSS-free India (Sangh-Mukt Bharat) till a few months back and now he is sitting in the lap of RSS-BJP. I will tell people about it during my yatra."

He said Nitish Kumar had not only betrayed the RJD, he had betrayed the people and their mandate against the BJP. "During my yatra, I will also invite people to attend the RJD's August 27 rally in Patna against the BJP," he added.

The entire RJD, including senior party leaders, MPs, MLAs and workers have been in the field urging people to join the "BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao" rally here on August 27.

Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi have blessed their younger son, who along with his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, will visit different places, meet people and interact with them during their yatra.

This will probably be the first time that Lalu will not be with them to guide and support them during their interaction with the people.

--IANS

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