Nitish is tired; retired, corrupt officers running Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav came down heavily on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while reiterating his charge that the CM remains "tired" and the "retired, corrupt officials" were running the government in the state.

Yadav's response came after he was asked about his "mentally unfit or unhealthy" remarks against Nitish Kumar.

"Have you noticed that Nitish Kumar doesn't say anything to the media? When there are government officials or the Deputy Chief Minister on stage, why do they hold his hand? When the national anthem is playing, he talks with the officials. What does it tell you? When respect was being paid to Mahatma Gandhi, he was busy applauding, and everyone was telling him to put down his hands," Yadav said in an exclusive interview with ANI.

Recalling various incidents where the officials had to give directions to Nitish Kumar in public, the RJD leader said that Kumar only goes out to public events for a photoshoot when the Opposition comments on his "tiredness", but remains within a few kilometres' radius of his official residence.

"This is a stage in life, and I don't like to comment on it. However, he is tired. When we say this, he goes for a photoshoot but stays within a 2-3 kilometre radius of his residence in Patna. Why doesn't he go and meet the rape victim? Why does he not visit the incident sites? Why doesn't he hold press conferences?" Yadav asked.

When asked who is running the government if the CM is "tired", Yadav said that it was the retired and corrupt officials who were running the Bihar government.

"Retired, corrupt officials. Those who are corrupt officials. The Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) Superintendent had retired, but he was given an extension after my government fell. The Chief Engineer, who was caught with crores of rupees, was retired only," he added.

Moreover, Yadav claimed that if the law and order situation in Bihar is compared to the one under the previous RJD-led Mahagathbandhan government based on crime data, it would reveal that criminal activities are "out of control "under the Nitish Kumar government.

"Our term in Bihar is often labelled as 'Maha jungle raj'. Compare it with the data whether the law and order situation was good during our term or is good this term. If you go through the data, it is clear that the crime is out of control under Nitish Kumar (government)," the RJD leader said.

Yadav questioned the silence of the media over the actions of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha during his visit to the rape victim's family in Muzzafarpur, where he asked them to swear to prove whether they were speaking the truth that they had to wait to avail treatment for the minor Dalit girl at PMCH.

"The rape case that happened, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the family members (of the victim) to swear on their mother and sister that treatment was refused at PMCH. The family had alleged that they were kept outside (waiting) for nearly four to five hours, which was the truth; that's why you removed the Deputy Superintendent. Are you visiting there to give sympathy or ask them to swear on their mother that they are speaking the truth? This is not a matter of debate in the news," he added.