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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that the opposition would take away SC/ST reservation and give it to Muslims. The RJD leader said that Prime Minister has lack of knowledge and is opposing the beliefs of Bihar's former CM Karpoori Thakur, who was recently awarded Bharat Ratna.
Speaking with the reporters, Tejashwi Yadav said, "The Prime Minister has a lack of knowledge. Recently, he gave Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur, but he is opposing his beliefs. When Karpoori Thakur became the Chief Minister for the first time, all the socially backward castes, irrespective of their religion, got reservation for the first time. Is it right to call Karpoori Thakur's decision wrong?." He further added, "Ask the leaders of JDU what they have to say on this. Whoever belonged to backward communities, they got reservation..." Two days earlier, coming hard over the Congress on "religion-based" reservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the party for its anti-reservation stand for SCs, STs and OBCs in 1990 and said that it's his duty to inform the public about it, who are raising the issue for their "political gains". In an interview with CNN News 18, the PM had said that Congress wants to end reservation and give it to Muslims, saying that the "sword of danger is hanging over reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other backward class". Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav also took a jibe at Chirag Paswan, and said, "Whatever is happening in Karnataka, why is Chirag Paswan not speaking up. And Chirag Paswan used to say that prosperous Dalits should leave reservations. And if he is a prosperous Dalit, then why is he not leaving the reservation? And the BJP leaders are continuously trying to end the constitution of BR Ambedkar, then why is he not saying anything? You (Chirag Paswan) are together with the people who are trying to eradicate the Constitution..." On a question regarding an election rally in Bihar that will be addressed by JP Nadda and Rajnath Singh on May 2, Tejashwi replied with sarcasm and said that they can call people from foreign nations as well. "Call Donald Trump from America, call Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin)." The 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats. As part of the NDA, BJP and JD(U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats respectively. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats, and Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha will contest one seat each. (ANI)
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