Published 17:46 IST, September 25th 2020
Bihar polls: Tejashwi Yadav refuses to apologise for 'Jungle-Raj' era, cites NCRB data
On Friday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at the Bihar government, contending that Nitish Kumar had perpetuated 'Rakshas Raj' during his tenure as CM.
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On Friday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at the Bihar government, contending that Nitish Kumar had perpetuated 'Rakshas Raj' (rule of the demon) during his tenure as CM. At the same time, he refused to apologise for the 'Jungle-Raj' period associated with the Lalu Prasad Yadav- Rabri Devi era. 'Jungle-Raj' is a reference to the state of affairs in Bihar under the Chief Ministership of the RJD supremo and his wife Rabri Devi from 1990-2005.
It has been alleged that this 15-year period witnessed an enormous rise in corruption, kidnapping, murder and extortion with state complicity. BJP and JD(U) have often used the 'Jungle-Raj' term to remind the voters of the peril of electing RJD back to power. Citing the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the state government did not have any answers to pressing questions. According to him, the poll discourse should centre around the future of Bihar. Thereafter, he reiterated that the people would vote in favour of an RJD-led government.
Former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav remarked, "They talk about the so-called Jungle-Raj. Have a look at the NCRB figures. If that was Jungle Raj, then this is Rakshas Raj. Laluji is the leader of the masses. Why doesn’t the government have an answer to our party’s questions? The discourse should be on how we can improve Bihar’s future and ensure the betterment of the people. We have a comprehensive blueprint. We are confident that the people have made up their mind and the formation of our government is guaranteed."
#WATCH "Look at the crime statistics. If you call that 'jungle-raj', this is 'rakshas raj'," says RJD's Tejashwi Yadav when asked if he, as face of the party, apologise for the term "jungle raj" used to describe Bihar during his father Lalu Yadav's tenure #BiharPolls pic.twitter.com/oJmod1nt1b
— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2020
Bihar polls
The Bihar Assembly has a strength of 243 members out of which 38 seats are reserved for SC and two for ST. In the 2015 state polls, the Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. On the other hand, the BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies.
On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as the CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP. The upcoming Assembly election will be held in 3 phases- October 28, November 3 and November 7. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.
(Image credits: PTI)
17:46 IST, September 25th 2020