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Tejashwi Yadav to be INDIA bloc's Bihar CM face? RJD leader declares in Rahul Gandhi's presence
Tejashwi Yadav made the declaration during the last leg of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in poll-bound Bihar.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday declared himself as the chief ministerial face of the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls during a rally in Arrah, slamming CM Nitish Kumar for “copying” his policies.
Yadav made the declaration during the last leg of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in poll-bound Bihar.
Gandhi and Congress had so far remained tight-lipped on the alliance’s CM face for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. But Saturday's declaration came as the Rae Bareli MP was present during the public meeting in Arrah.
Tejashwi slams Nitish Kumar, endorses self
Addressing the rally, Tejashwi Yadav slammed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and called him a “copycat CM" who was just copying his policies and making announcements. “Do you want an original Chief Minister or a duplicate?" he asked the crowd.
Tejashwi declared himself the alliance's “original chief ministerial" candidate in Rahul Gandhi's presence.
“Tejashwi is moving ahead. The government is following behind," he said at the rally, drawing loud cheers.
The polls are due in Bihar in October or November, although the Election Commission has yet to announce the dates.
Akhilesh Yadav backs Tejashwi Yadav as the INDIA bloc’s Bihar CM face
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav for their "Voter Adhikar Yatra" and extended strong support to the RJD leader as the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
Calling the yatra a movement to safeguard democratic rights in Bihar, Akhilesh said it had awakened the people of the state to the threat of their rights being "snatched away".
"I congratulate Tejashwi ji for the yatra he carried out. He made the people of Bihar aware that their rights are being snatched away. I congratulate Tejashwi ji, Rahul Gandhi ji and the people of Bihar. This time, the harmony is going to win in Bihar. The people of Bihar will vote to build their future," the SP chief was quoted by ANI as saying.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister praised Tejashwi's previous tenure as Bihar’s deputy CM and highlighted his employment record.
“Tejashwi ji has shown his work even before. And there was a time when he gave a record number of jobs, and employment was provided. Now, the youth of Bihar at least have this confidence that once the government is formed, Tejaswi ji will again provide them employment,” Akhilesh said.
When asked if Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face for the INDIA bloc, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav gave his full backing.
"...Tejashwi ji has shown his work here. And when he was in the government here, the decisions he took, jobs were given. What better face can there be than this? I assure him that we will help him with all our experience," he said.
