'Bihar at the bottom': Tejashwi mounts fierce attack on PM as he visits poll-bound state
He asked the prime minister why Bihar ranks lowest in per capita income, and tops the list when it comes to poverty, unemployment and migration
Blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Bihar’s backwardness, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday (February 24) posed 15 questions to the former during his visit to the poll-bound state.
Tejashwi posed the questions to Modi who is in Bihar to release the 19th tranche of direct cash transfers for farmers. The Assembly elections in the state are due later this year.
The RJD leader called out Modi over Bihar's many problems including poor literacy rate, per capita investment, unemployment as well as lack of infrastructure and industrial growth.
Also read: Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant ‘ready’ for politics in poll-bound Bihar; who is he?
Tejashwi's offensive
“The people of Bihar gave these people a chance to run the 'double-engine' government... Modi has been the prime minister for 11 years at the Centre, and Nitish Kumar has been the chief minister of Bihar for 20 years,” Tejashwi said in a statement in Patna on Monday. “Now the people want to ask some valid questions and (do not want) lies and rhetoric,” he added.
The RJD leader said that Bihar is at the bottom of many indices nationally. “Bihar ranks lowest in per capita income and investment. Bihar ranks lowest in farmer income, and Bihar is number one in unemployment, migration and poverty,” he said.
Tejashwi alleged that Modi visited Bihar only before elections. “Whenever he comes, he lures the people of Bihar with his slogans,” he said, referring to unfulfilled promises about reviving sugar mills and industries.
He recalled that the prime minister promised to restart Motihari’s sugar mill in 2017 “and drink tea with its sugar”. He asked, “Will he tell us when he will drink this tea.” He posed a similar question regarding the jute mill in Katihar.
String of questions
The RJD posed a series of questions to the prime minister.
“Why was Bihar not given a textile park under the PM Textile Park Yojana? When will he give jobs in the Railways and Army to unemployed people?”
“Why is Bihar top in poverty and unemployment even after the BJP rule in the state? What happened to the special package (of Central aid) for Bihar?”
On Bihar farmers' struggles, Tejashwi launched a scathing attack on the prime minister.
“What happened? Do you understand issues faced by Bihar's farmers? They are dying... and nothing has been done for them. You promised to double farmers' incomes by 2022 but let alone doubling the income, farmers are now being crushed by inflation.”
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“There are more farm labourers than the farmers in Bihar. What has the double-engine government done for them? Why is the income of farmers in Bihar the lowest in the country?”
Migration, caste census
Tejashwi’s attack also included jabs over migration and caste census. “The prime minister should tell us why he is not implementing 65% reservation passed by Bihar’s BJP-JDU regime... he should tell us why is not conducting a caste census in the country... he should tell us what he has done to stop migration from Bihar,” he said.
On the other hand, ahead of his visit to Bihar, PM Modi said the country is proud of 'annadatas' and pointed to his government’s six years of direct cash transfer scheme for them. The prime minister is expected to release Rs 22,000 crore for the farmers while in Bihar.
