PM [1]
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RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday claimed he would be "happy" if Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant entered politics as it would "save" the JD(U) from BJP and other alliance partners.
Talking to reporters here, the former deputy chief minister, however, scoffed at Nishant's appeal to the people of the state that they vote for his father in the upcoming assembly polls as the JD(U) supremo was "100 per cent" fit.
"My father is fitter than his father," quipped Mr Yadav, when his response was sought to Nishant's remarks the day before, adding, "Nobody has done as much as Lalu ji for the downtrodden. It was during his reign that recommendations of the Mandal Commission was implemented in Bihar."
Mr Yadav, who is currently the leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly, added "Nishant is like a brother to me. I wish him all the best. I would also like him to get married. If he decides to enter politics, he has the right to do so."
"I would, in fact, be happy if he enters politics. Perhaps it would give a new lease of life to the party (JDU) founded by late Sharad Yadav. His father has been hijacked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had found fault with Nitish Kumar's DNA. His other allies are Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom have an axe to grind against the CM. Till recently, all these allies had been questioning Nitish Kumar's mental health."
Notably, speculations have been rife that Nishant, 47, could enter politics ahead of the assembly polls due later this year though neither he nor his father have spoken on the matter so far.
Mr Yadav was also asked about a cryptic statement of minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a close aide of the JD(U) supremo, that the party was "ready for polls at any time", which has triggered speculations of elections being held earlier than scheduled.
The RJD leader said, "I wonder if they have entered into some type of alliance with the Election Commission, which, like ED and CBI has started functioning like an instrument of the ruling BJP at the Centre."
"As far as we are concerned, we are always battle-ready. We faced the polls of 2020 in the thick of COVID pandemic," the RJD leader pointed out.
Asked about the PM's tour of Bhagalpur scheduled on Monday, Mr Yadav said "Yes, they will all rush to Bihar now, since they are done with Delhi. They do not care for the state but want to grab power."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Agency staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)