Cong's 'NYAY' will help victims of 'annyay' in Bihar: Tejashwi

Coming out in full support of the Congress' proposed minimum income scheme NYAY, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said it will have a far-reaching impact for the people of Bihar and make a "massive" dent in the vicious cycle of poverty.

Tejashwi also said the Bihar grand alliance, which represents the oppressed and marginalised sections of the society, has rattled the BJP-led NDA, and asserted that it was not a "lackluster alliance" but a "robust rainbow coalition of not only political parties but also of social constituencies".

"The Nyuntam Aay Yojana or 'NYAY' proposed by Congress will have far-reaching impact for the people of Bihar. It promises to put in the hands of the poorest, a regular sum of money every month to be spent on basic necessities," Yadav told PTI in an interview.

"The people of Bihar have been victims of 'annyay' (injustice), suffering from the anti-poor policies and actions of the central and state governments, and it is high time they should demand and get 'NYAY' (which in English means justice)", Yadav said.

The backing to NYAY by Tejashwi, whose party has forged an alliance in the state with the Congress and four other political parties, came barely a week after the big-bang poll promise by national party's chief Rahul Gandhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls.

Emphasising that the scheme will put the money in the hands of those who need it the most after "economic mismanagement" by the state and Union governments, Tejashwi said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is of the firm view that NYAY will make a "massive and desirable" dent in the vicious cycle of poverty which severely impacts the access and opportunity structures for the poor.

Asked why it took a long time to seal the seat sharing, Yadav said: "Let me first clarify that rather than being in a hurry to seal a lackluster alliance, our idea was to have robust rainbow coalition of not only political parties but also of social constituencies."
On suggestions that a section of the state unit of the Congress was unhappy with the seat sharing among the grand alliance partners, Yadav said: "As a young politician, I was solely guided by my father's message to the nation and political parties as early as in May 2014, wherein he appealed to all to set aside their difference to collectively fight the right-wing dictatorial regime."