Mahagathbandhan

Tejashwi Yadav named leader of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar Assembly

Lawmakers of the opposition Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar on Saturday unanimously elected Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD as the coalition's leader in the state legislature. The decision was taken at a meeting hosted by Yadav here ahead of the five-day session of the legislature, beginning on Monday, during which all the newly elected members of the 243-strong assembly will be sworn in. Talking to reporters after the meeting, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said, Tejashwi Yadav has been elected leader of the Mahagathbandhan' in the state legislature. Of course, he will also be leader of our party in the assembly. Congress MLC Samir Kumar Singh, who is also a working president of the party's state unit, said "the decision on Tejashwi Yadav was unanimous. We have sufficient numbers, and he shall be the leader of the opposition as well". The Mahagathbandhan' was decimated in the recent assembly polls, which saw the ruling NDA retaining power by bagging 202 seats. "At the meeting, members of both Houses

Congress, Mahagathbandhan fighting same battle as Mahatma Gandhi: Priyanka

Addressing a public rally in Katihar's Kadwa, Priyanka Gandhi said the battle of the Congress and the Mahagathbandhan today is not merely political but a fight to safeguard the rights of citizens

Bihar does not want 'katta sarkar', return of 'jungle raj', says PM Modi

Addressing a rally in Aurangabad, PM Modi said those responsible for the so-called 'jungle raj' are 'teaching children to become gangsters'

Tejashwi promises one govt job per family in Bihar. But is it feasible?

With nearly 27 million families in Bihar, fulfilling one government job promise per family would mean rewriting the state's fiscal playbook and stretching its machinery to the brink

Tejashwi Yadav overrides Lalu, recalls party tickets distributed by father

Ahead of the high-stakes elections in Bihar, members of the RJD received party symbols on Monday, which were later taken back

Protests in Bihar against special intensive revision of electoral rolls

Protests erupted across Bihar on Wednesday against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as part of which top leaders of the opposition Mahagathbandhan, including Rahul Gandhi, converged in the state capital. The INDIA bloc, of which the Mahgathbandhan is a part, is supporting the nationwide 'chakka jam' called in protest against the four labour codes, but in Bihar the opposition coalition has chosen to also highlight its reservations against the SIR, which allegedly threatens to "disenfranchise a substantial number of voters", barely a few months ahead of the assembly polls, to "benefit" the ruling NDA. Gandhi was joined by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav besides D Raja, MA Baby and Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretaries of CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) respectively, in a giant procession that commenced at the Income Tax crossing, around a hundred metres from vital installations such as the Patna High Court, besides offices of many political parties. The leaders stood atop an

No dispute in Mahagathbandhan on Tejashwi being CM face: Kanhaiya Kumar

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday said if the 'Mahagathbandhan' gets a majority in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, the chief minister will be from the RJD, and added that there was "no confusion or dispute" over Tejashwi Yadav being the main face for the CM's post. Kanhaiya Kumar, however, asserted that issues would be paramount in the polls and there was "a conspiracy" by rivals to divert attention by raking up the matter of the coalition's CM face. Claiming that as soon as the BJP gets a chance it will remove Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and replace him with its own leader in Bihar, Kumar alleged that the BJP is following its standard template -- to first take the support of a regional party and then "slowly swallow it". In an interview with PTI, he claimed that "winds of change" are stronger than in the last assembly polls in Bihar and the BJP is not raking up Operation Sindoor as a poll plank because it knows that the people of Bihar will respond negatively to it as the

Bihar cancels tenders worth Rs 3,600 cr issued by Mahagathbandhan regime

The Bihar government has cancelled tenders for rural water supply works worth Rs 3,600 crore floated during the previous Mahagathbandhan regime, Public Health Engineering Minister Niraj Kumar Singh said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, Singh said the decision was taken after an inquiry conducted by the department found that due process was not followed in floating these tenders and adequate areas were not covered. "The department has cancelled tenders worth Rs 3,600 crore related to the rural water supply system given during the previous Mahagathbandhan government. Earlier, we had cancelled 350 tenders, worth Rs 826 crore, of the PHE Department. So far, the department has cancelled tenders worth more than Rs 4,400 that were finalised during the previous government," he said. "Investigations revealed that due process was not followed in the tender process, and also adequate areas were not covered. Now, the department will float revised tenders for the work at the earliest,"

Bihar govt cancels Rs 826 crore-contracts given during coalition regime

The NDA government in Bihar cancelled 350 contracts totalling Rs 826 crore that were awarded during the previous RJD-led 'mahagathbandhan' government

Cong questions PM Modi over stance on Mahagathbandhan govt's caste survey

The Congress on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi what he thinks of the caste census conducted by his "old new ally" Nitish Kumar in Bihar, saying he should break his "silence" on the issue. Ahead of the prime minister's rally in Bihar's Jamui, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister "The Prime Minister is in Jamui, Bihar today. It is unlikely to ever figure in his propaganda-laden speeches, but these are the issues that the people of Bihar want to hear from him about: Bihar was the first state to abolish the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act in 2006. APMCs ensure farmers get MSP for their produce. Removing them has spelled disaster for farmers in Bihar, 97% of whom have small or marginal landholdings." Despite the failure of this policy decision, the Modi government first attempted to scrap APMCs nationwide through the "three black farm laws", and now continues to deny farmers guaranteed MSPs, he said. Can the prime

Mahagathbandhan will fight for justice in Bihar, no need for Nitish: Rahul

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that the Mahagathbandhan' will continue fighting for social justice in Bihar, and the alliance does not need Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the cause. Speaking at a rally in Purnea district, where his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' entered during the day, Gandhi also took a swipe at Kumar for switching sides frequently. "He (Kumar) cannot exert pressure... he immediately takes a U-turn, the former Congress president said. Kumar on Sunday took oath as the chief minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after a dramatic volte-face, ditching the 'Mahagathbandhan' and the opposition bloc INDIA and forming a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. The Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) will fight for social justice in Bihar; we don't require Nitish Kumar for that purpose, we don't require him at all, Gandhi said. Congress is a part of the Mahagathbandhan', which also comprises the RJD and Left parties. Gandhi also

Nitish Kumar resigns, stakes claim to form govt in Bihar with BJP's support

JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Mahagathbandhan he had joined less than 18 months ago and the opposition bloc INDIA. Talking to reporters here after submitting his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Kumar, who is likely to form a new government with the support of the BJP, said: "If the parties which were with me earlier agree to come together, you will get to know what happens next". "I have submitted my resignation to the Governor. The government that was in place now comes to an end. I have let it go", said Kumar, who stopped briefly to talk to reporters outside the Raj Bhavan, which is a stone's throw from his official residence. The 72-year-old leader indicated that he was not feeling happy with the way things were in the Mahagathbandhan in the state as well as the INDIA bloc that he helped take shape but which failed to adequately recognise his efforts. "You all know ho

After Nitish Kumar resigns as CM, BJP hints at NDA govt formation in Bihar

Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna on Sunday

Expected Nitish Kumar would fight BJP at very end: Cong's Jairam Ramesh

His reaction came just moments before Nitish Kumar announced his exit from the Mahagathbandhan creating a path for him to a possible return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

Knew it would happen: Kharge on Nitish Kumar's exit from Mahagathbandhan

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Patna and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday

Bihar coalition govt on tenterhooks amid rumours of Nitish returning to NDA

The trouble was out in the open when Kumar attended the high tea ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of the Republic Day but his deputy Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD skipped the function

Tejashwi slams BJP, rejects speculations of unrest in Mahagathbandhan

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday alleged that the CBI's chargesheet against him was a part of the BJP's tactics" to tarnish the reputation of its opponents. Talking to reporters upon return from a long vacation, Yadav also rubbished speculations of a rift within the state's ruling Mahagathbandhan, which he blamed on media outlets acting as spokespersons of the BJP. Yadav spoke at the airport here, with his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad by his side who chose to stay silent, letting the son and heir apparent do the talking. The BJP has been jittery since the day Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and we joined hands. The case against me has no substance. All of us understand the game well. The BJP will get a befitting response in the Lok Sabha elections next year, Yadav said. He was abroad when the Central Bureau of Investigation last week came out with a fresh chargesheet in the land-for-jobs scam, with his name among the accused, alongside his father and mother Ra

Wolves hunt in packs but they can't hunt lion: Smriti Irani on Oppn meeting

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Saturday took a jibe at the meeting of opposition parties held in Patna, saying wolves hunt in packs but they do not know that they cannot hunt a lion. She also alleged that the target of Friday's opposition conclave was not Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "but the people of the country and the exchequer". "As soon as I came to Indore, the media asked me what my reaction was to the Opposition's gathering in Patna yesterday," Irani said addressing a public gathering organised here to mark the completion of the Modi government's nine years in power. There is a saying in English that wolves hunt in packs but they do not know that they can't hunt a lion," Irani said. She also spoke at an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party to mark the completion of nine years of the Modi government. Prominent women from Indore were invited to this programme. "There has been a gathering (of Opposition parties), but its target was not Modi, but you

'All leaders are united to defeat PM Modi,' says JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar

Meanwhile, Bihar Congress president Dr Akhilesh Prasad Singh said all opposition parties are coming together to defeat the ideology of BJP and RSS

BJP may go for early polls worried over oppn unity gaining momentum: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has caused a flutter by predicting early Lok Sabha polls, on Friday asserted that the possibility arose out of the ruling BJP's fears of his opposition unity drive gaining momentum. Talking to reporters here, Kumar also defended the ouster of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi from the state's ruling 'Mahagathbandhan', alleging that the Hindustani Awam Morcha founder was virtually spying on opposition parties at the BJP's behest. "I may have spoken about early polls in jest but it is also a strong possibility. Those in power at the Centre may sense that there is a lot of movement in the opposition camp", said Kumar, as part of whose efforts to forge opposition unity leaders of nearly a score of parties opposed to the BJP will converge here on June 23 for a conclave. The JD(U) supreme leader was talking to reporters at the Raj Bhavan, after the swearing-in of party MLA Ratnesh Sada into the cabinet, which follows the resignation of Manjhi's son Santosh