Patna:

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has defended the opposition INDIA bloc’s decision to boycott alleged pro-BJP news anchors.

The RJD leader was talking to reporters in Patna on Friday, upon his return from Delhi, where the decision to this effect was taken during a coordination committee meeting of the INDIA coalition.

He also admonished his party colleague and cabinet minister Chandra Shekhar for his controversial remarks on Ramcharitmanas.

“The sub-committee concerned took the decision not to take part in shows organised by those who are rabidly pro-BJP and try to give things an incendiary turn,” said Mr Yadav, upon being asked about the opposition coalition’s move, which has irked the ruling party at the Centre and also drawn flak from some journalists’ bodies.

About the utterances of Chandra Shekhar, who holds the education portfolio, Mr Yadav said, “In my view, he should avoid raising unnecessary controversy and concentrate more on the functioning of his department.”

The RJD leader, however, added, “I also have a complaint against too much of media glare around such negative things. The education department in the state recently held a teachers’ recruitment drive which was unprecedented in scale. I hardly saw any coverage in the mainstream media.” 

Mr Yadav also sought to make light of the Bihar visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is scheduled to hold a rally in Madhubani district and attend a Sashastra Seema Bal function in Araria on Saturday.

“The visit may be of benefit to the home minister’s party. What is Bihar going to get out of it? His government has failed to provide the state a special package, what to speak of the long-standing demand for a special category status,” Mr Yadav alleged.

“The home minister has been visiting Bihar almost every month. I wish he took some time off to go to Manipur which is ruled by his party and where the situation resembles a civil war,” the RJD leader added.

He also scoffed at speculations in a section of the media that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a G20 event last weekend, could plan yet another volte-face.

The young leader remarked, “Things do not happen that way. But, if the BJP people feel happy imagining such a scenario, let them enjoy some sweets. It will make them halt their hate propaganda across the country for some time.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)