New Delhi:

A war of words between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has escalated over the Assam government’s move to scrap the practice of two-hour assembly session adjournment for jumma prayers.

While Mr Sarma from the ruling BJP pointed out the decision was taken jointly by all MLAs including Hindu and Muslim leaders, Mr Yadav alleged the Assam Chief Minister’s party has made Muslims soft targets to spread hate and polarise society.

What escalated the exchange between the two was Mr Yadav’s post on X that took a swipe at Mr Sarma as someone who wants to “gain cheap popularity and become the Chinese version of Yogi,” alluding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

असम के मुख्यमंत्री सस्ती लोकप्रियता हासिल करने एवं “योगी का चाइनीज़ वर्जन” बनने के प्रयास में जानबुझकर मुसलमानों को परेशान करने वाले कृत्य करते रहते है। BJP के लोगों ने नफ़रत फैलाने, मोदी-शाह का ध्यान आकृष्ट करने एवं समाज में धुर्वीकरण करने के लिए मुसलमान भाइयों को सॉफ्ट टारगेट… pic.twitter.com/tVue9mXoY9

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 30, 2024

The RJD leader did not indicate if he was referring to inferior quality goods from China, or the north-east region, where people have often complained of racist remarks directed towards them.

Responding to Mr Yadav’s attack, Mr Sarma said, “Doing away with the two-hour jumma break was not the Chief Minister’s decision, but of all Hindu and Muslim legislators. When the assembly Speaker on Friday announced it, no Muslim MLA in the house raised any protest. There are 25 Muslim MLAs in Assam assembly, out of a total 126.”

असम में जुम्मे के ब्रेक को ख़त्म करने के निर्णय को कांग्रेस ने भी समर्थन दिया। बिहार या देश की किसी भी अन्य विधानसभा में ऐसा कोई ब्रेक है ही नहीं। मैं हैरान हूँ कि असम के बाहर के लोग बिना सोचे-समझे इसका विरोध कर रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/fuUhhEi1nf

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 31, 2024

The Assam Chief Minister said the proposal to do away with this provision in the rules of procedures of the assembly was placed before the rules committee, headed by the Speaker, which unanimously agreed to drop the jumma practice.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is from the BJP, waded into the battle and attacked Mr Yadav, alleging that the RJD leader had labelled the Assam Chief Minister “a Chinese just because he is from the northeast.”

“It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history and geography of our country. First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of northeast,” Mr Singh said.

It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history & geography of our country.

First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of North east.

It is unfortunate that a… pic.twitter.com/uc78LpohC2

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 31, 2024

Mr Sarma also shot back at Mr Yadav, accusing him of “hypocrisy”. “Tejashwi Yadav is criticising me but I want to ask him… is there any such practice in Bihar? You (Mr Yadav) should have implemented a four-hour break when you were deputy chief minister of Bihar. Practice it first before preaching,” Mr Sarma said.

He added the decision was being criticised only outside Assam, while the state MLAs showed commitment to work for development.

In May 2021, a blogger from Punjab was charged by the Arunachal Pradesh government for his racial remarks against a Congress MLA. The YouTube blogger Paras Singh had in a video termed then Congress MLA Ninong Ering a “non-Indian” and claimed the “state was a part of China”, sparking furore among Arunachal residents as well as people from other parts of the country. Paras Singh was arrested and brought to Arunachal Pradesh, where he said he realised his mistake and sought apology. He was granted bail and allowed to return home.

New Delhi:

The Rouse Avenue court on Saturday reserved an order on summoning former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others in land for a job money laundering case under PMLA. The court is to pronounce the order on August 24.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently filed a supplementary charge sheet.

Special judge Vishal Gogne after considering the supplementary charge sheet and submissions of ED’s counsel reserved the order on summoning Lalu Prasad Yadav, his son Tejashwi Yadav, and nine other charge-sheeted accused.

The ED on August 6, filed an Ist supplementary charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and other accused.

This supplementary charge sheet has the names of Lallan Chaudhary, Hazari Rai, Dharmender Kumar, Akhileshwar Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Late Lal Babu Rai, Sonmatia Devi, Late Kishun Dev Rai and Sanjay Rai.

It also has 96 relied-upon documents.

On July 6, the Rouse Avenue court granted time and directed that ED shall file an additional/ concluding charge sheet by the next date of hearing.

The joint director of Enforcement Director had also appeared under the direction of the court. He apprised the court about the status of the investigation and steps taken by the agency.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav along with other accused had already been charge-sheeted by the ED in this case.

ED’s SPP Manish Jain along with Snehal Sharda appeared for ED before the court.

The special public prosecutor (SPP) clarified that it is a supplementary charge sheet based on the evidence and material the agency has till now.

Earlier, the court had directed the ED to expedite the investigation, it had directed that ED shall file an additional/concluding charge sheet by the next date.

In April, the court had directed the ED to finalise the conclusion of the pending investigation in the Land for Job money laundering case within two weeks.

In this case, Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav have been charge-sheeted along with Amit Katyal and Hridyanand Chaudhary. All accused except Amit Katyal appeared through video conferencing.

On February 28, the court granted regular bail to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary.

Motihari (Bihar):

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday claimed another bridge in Bihar has caved in, though an official said it was a makeshift structure that got washed away in heavy rainfall.

Mr Yadav, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, shared on his X handle a video of the incident that has taken place in East Champaran district.

In the clip, people can be heard blaming the use of spurious material for the incident in a village falling under the Madhuban block.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

बिहार के पूर्वी चंपारण में आज फिर एक पुल और गिरा। सरकार थोड़े गिरी है जो खबर बनेगी?

बीते दिनों में यह वाँ भ्रष्टाचारी पुल गिरा है। पुलिया, सड़क और बाँध टूटने एवं धँसने के तो मामले अनगिनत है। #Bihar
pic.twitter.com/Rzcnm4B5QH

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 7, 2024

District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said he was aware of the incident but asserted that it was “not a bridge, not even a causeway”.

“A sewage line passes through Lohargawan village. Some parts of it were uncovered. As per the information we have, a decision was taken at the Panchayat level a few years back to erect a structure across the drain to help people cross it without difficulty”, the DM told PTI over the phone.

Accordingly, the drain was covered with the makeshift structure, not more than a few feet long, he said.

“As is the case with such unregulated works, mud was used and hence it got washed away when heavy rains battered the area. Nonetheless, we are looking into the matter and will do, at our level, whatever is needed,” added the district magistrate.

The incident comes in the backdrop of more than a dozen bridges and causeways collapsing in several Bihar districts in the last couple of weeks, prompting authorities to place under suspension at least 15 engineers, even though no casualties have taken place in such mishaps.

The bridge collapse incidents have also led to a political slugfest, with Mr Yadav training his guns at the Nitish Kumar government, but the ruling NDA shifting the blame on the RJD, pointing out that the Rural Works portfolio was with the party till it was ousted from power in January this year. 

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

Patna:

The Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, claimed on Wednesday that Sikandar Yadvendu, who was arrested in the NEET question paper leak case, is a close relative Pritam Kumar, the personal secretary of former Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

The investigation being conducted by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police has identified Sikandar Yadvendu, a junior engineer in the municipal committee of Danapur, as the kingpin of the NEET question paper leak case.

“Sikandar Yadvendu is a close relative of Tejashwi Yadav’s PS Pritam Kumar. An NHAI guest house was booked for Sikandar’s sister Reena Yadav and son Anurag Yadav to stay on May 4. A phone number and ‘Mantri Ji’ were mentioned in the diary of the NHAI guest house. The investigating agency is making efforts to know the identity of this Mantri Ji,” Mr Sinha said.

Mr Sinha, who also holds the road construction portfolio, said that he has ordered an inquiry into the booking of the NHAI guest house.

“I am getting a thorough investigation done by my department to find out which officers or employees are working at the behest of Tejashwi Yadav. The entire system of RJD is based on crime and corruption,” Mr Sinha said.

The EOU has found evidence that the question papers of NEET 2024 were leaked. The examination was held on May 5 and the question paper was leaked a day earlier on May 4.

The kingpin of this gang is Sikandar Yadavendu, who has been arrested. The EOU claims that Sikandar made his brother-in-law’s son and many other candidates memorise the answers by giving them the question paper in advance.

On May 5, the police arrested Reena Yadav from the NHAI guest house. The EOU also found an OMR sheet from the guest house. Reena’s son Anurag’s name is written in the register of the guest house, with ‘Mantri Ji’ written next to it.

Sikandar is a resident of Samastipur. He used to work as a contractor in Ranchi. In 2012, he became a junior engineer. He was an accused in the LED scam of Rs 3 crore and served a jail term as well.

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

Patna:

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav, whose fish meal video sparked a political storm ahead of Navratras, stirred the pot today with a video of a lunch with family and friends. The guest of honour was Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. And while the fare was not too clear from the video, Mr Yadav dropped a broad hint at the end — “Rahul ji has now had mutton twice”.

Though he did not mention the details, the first was probably the time when Mr Yadav’s father, Bihar’s former Chief Minister Lalu Yadav, taught Mr Gandhi the intricacies of cooking Champaran mutton, a video of which was widely circulated.

That the mood was one of fun and mischief was made clear at the outset, when Tejashwi Yadav, sharing a couch with Mr Gandhi, was heard saying, “Hey Sahani Ji, your fish bones stuck in Modi-ji’s throat?”

Former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahani was Mr Yadav’s ‘partner in crime’  in the pre-Navratra fish meal. More banter followed, interspersed with political discussion, at the end of which Rahul Gandhi said it was now their turn and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wanted to cook for everyone.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी को भारतीय जनता पस्त कर रही है। Video Courtesy- @RahulGandhi Ji pic.twitter.com/qenxaZIRvd

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) May 28, 2024

“Bharatiya Janata Party is being defeated by the people of India,” read a rough translation of the caption of the video, posted on X, formerly Twitter. At the end, Mr Yadav had added, “Video courtesy Rahul Gandhi”.

A video posted by Mr Yadav ahead of Navratra, showing him sharing a fish meal with Mr Sahani, had sparked a huge row.

As a furious BJP targetted him, Mr Yadav tweeted, “We had uploaded this video to test the IQ of the BJP and Godi media followers and we were proved right in our thinking. The tweet says “Dinank” i.e. Date, but what do the poor blind followers know? At the end, Sahni ji has also mentioned about getting chilli”.

In this election, the RJD is pinning its hopes on hordes of young men of the state who are hungry for jobs.

During  campaigning, Mr Yadav has constantly showcased the 4 lakh-plus jobs the Grand Alliance government had provided in 17 months before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled the plug on the alliance in January this year.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha election concludes

A 48-hour silence period at 94 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 12 States and Union Territories commenced at 6 p.m. on May 5 with the conclusion of campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha election. Voting will take place on May 7. Polling for more than half of the total number of constituencies will be completed by the end of this phase.

H.D. Revanna remanded to SIT custody for three days till May 8; he says arrest is a ‘political conspiracy’

Janata Dal (S) MLA and former Minister H.D. Revanna, who has been arrested in an abduction case, was on Sunday remanded in three-day police custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT is probing the alleged multiple instances of sexual abuse by his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. His police custody will end on May 8.

RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav says PM Narendra Modi’s campaign is deeply communal and prejudiced

With polling in the first two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha election concluded, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav appeared confident of winning comprehensively. Being his party’s star campaigner, he has so far addressed 107 political rallies, with 125 more to go, speaking on average at five rallies a day.

PM Modi offers prayers at Ram temple in Ayodhya, holds roadshow

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Royal challenge for Mahua as Trinamool, BJP clash in Krishnanagar, but CPI(M) can tilt scales

One of the most keenly watched contests in West Bengal in the ongoing Lok Sabha election is unfolding in the Krishnanagar seat, which has come to limelight for being the constituency of Mahua Moitra.

Amid poll heat, Lalu’s daughters sweat it out

Misa Bharati and Rohini Acharya, daughters of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, are busier than ever. Navigating the maze that is Bihar politics, they are trying to find a way to reach the Lok Sabha.

Russia says forces seized village in eastern Ukraine

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Modi and Yogi are working for your children, PM says in U.P., targets Opposition over dynastic politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress over dynastic politics, alleging that these parties were contesting elections to benefit their families and their vote banks. “SP and Congress people either do good only for their family or for their vote bank,” Mr. Modi said, addressing an election rally in Etawah supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ram Shankar Katheria.

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Patna:

A remark by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday sparked a buzz that he may pass the mantle to his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

The JD(U) leader had last year said that the RJD leader would “lead” the state’s ruling Mahagathbandhan when Bihar would face its next assembly polls in 2025.

This had ruffled some feathers in the JD(U) and led Upendra Kushwaha, the parliamentary board chief, to quit alleging that the Chief Minister had entered a “deal” with Lalu Prasad, the RJD supremo.

When recent remarks about “personal friendship” with leaders in the BJP led to speculations of yet another volte-face, M Kumar vehemently denied the same.

Talking to reporters, with Mr Yadav by his side, Mr Kumar put his arm around the shoulder of his deputy and said, “Now this child is everything to me.” The gesture became a topic of discussion in the state’s political circles.

When journalists sought the comments of Akhilesh Prasad Singh, the state Congress chief, he said “I do not think there is anything surprising in what the chief minister has said”.

He added: “Please remember that the chief minister has made it clear in the past that he would like Tejashwi to lead the charge in the next elections. The young leader has already proved his mettle, having spearheaded a spirited campaign in 2020 when the Mahagathbandhan came within striking distance of a victory”.

State BJP president Samrat Choudhary, whose party was dumped by Mr Kumar last year, did not seem impressed.

“I am many years younger to Nitish Kumar. I too am a bachcha (kid) before him. Hence no issues if he calls Tejashwi his bachcha. But those who think it indicates succession must remember it is for the people of Bihar to decide. And the public has made up its mind to elect a BJP government next time since they have had enough of Lalu and Nitish,” claimed Choudhary.

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

Patna:

Two days after the first instalment of data from the Bihar caste survey was released, the BJP kept up its insistence that there were errors, with party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad claiming that no one met him or his family to collect their information despite him being a resident of Patna.

The state public relations department countered, saying his and his family’s data was collected as per norms. This prompted Mr Prasad to post that the form states that the head of the family’s signature is a must, and his wasn’t taken. 

The BJP leader’s comments invited a strong reaction from Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who said all those who have a problem with the survey data should ask the Prime Minister to get it conducted for the entire country. He also claimed that the BJP was trying to have its cake and eat it too, by both welcoming and criticising the survey 

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Prasad said that while his party had supported the caste survey in Bihar, no enumerator had met him or his family to gather their information despite him being the Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib. He said someone had asked a person outside their house for the details and alleged that similar complaints had been received from many parts of the state.

He also repeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge that the ruling coalition in Bihar, which consists of the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and three Left parties, had got the survey done to create a divide in the country. He also demanded that the data be made public to ensure transparency. 

The state public relations department issued a rebuttal and said that the information from the MP was collected as per the laid-down norms and that the data could not be released as that would lead to privacy issues.

Escalation

Later in the day, Mr Prasad posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the signature of the house owner is a must as per the caste survey form, and his was not taken. He alleged that lakhs of people have similar concerns.

“How much importance should be given to the response of the Public Relations Department? My direct question is that, according to the caste survey form, the signature of the house owner is necessary but my signature has not been taken nor have I been contacted even though I am the head of the family. Lakhs of people in Bihar have similar concerns that they were not contacted by the surveyors and their signatures were not taken. Misrepresentation should stop,” Mr Prasad posted in Hindi.

Asked about Mr Prasad’s comments, Tejashwi Yadav, pointed out that all parties in Bihar, including the BJP, had supported the caste survey. He also slammed the party for both welcoming the survey and criticising it.

“The caste survey has been done and now some people are raising objections. They are welcoming the survey and objecting at the same time. If they have so many objections, why don’t they ask PM Modi to get the Centre to do it? How long have we been making that demand? If they don’t trust our survey, they should ask Modiji to get it done in the whole country, and, if not, at least in Bihar,” Mr Yadav said in Hindi.

“All they have to do is add a column. Forget the caste census, they have not been able to conduct the normal Census since 2021. These people raise objections when someone gets the work done and praise the people who don’t,” the RJD leader mocked.

The data from the Bihar caste survey revealed that nearly 63.1% of the state’s 13.1 crore population belongs to a backward class and roughly 85% are members of a backward or extremely backward class, or a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.

The general category makes up just 15.5 per cent of the population. Among the Other Backward Classes, the biggest group is the Yadav community, which accounts for 14.27% of all OBCs.

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.)

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav sought to compare Union Budget 2023 with previous Budgets. 
| Photo Credit: PTI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said the Centre has cheated Bihar in the Union Budget 2023-24 and fooled the people of the State.

“Bihar is a backward State. The Prime Minister and the Centre had made commitments to grant Bihar a special package and status several times before but nothing has been done so far. They have only fooled the people of Bihar and cheated us,” Mr. Yadav said while speaking to mediapersons in Patna.

He also sought to compare Wednesday’s Budget with previous Budgets. “There are lots of differences between previous Budgets and this Budget. People should know about the revenue and expenditure and they should be told from where the money is coming and where it is going… but they are not”, said Mr. Yadav.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is currently undertaking a ‘Samadhan Yatra’ (solution journey) across the State, said he couldn’t listen to the Budget speech as the yatra was pre-scheduled. “Once I wrap up today’s yatra, I will get to know the details,” Mr. Kumar told mediapersons in Supaul.

However, Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who was alongside Mr. Kumar, said the State’s demands were not met in the Budget. “The people of Bihar had a lot of expectations from the Budget but the Centre has again cheated the State,” said Mr. Choudhary.

The Congress also echoed similar views. Senior State Congress leader Ajit Sharma said, “Bihar has got nothing in the Budget and the people of Bihar have been cheated once again,” said.

Opposition BJP leaders termed the Budget “pro-people”. “It’s a balanced and pro-people Budget which will benefit all sections of people in the country,” said Vijay Kumar Sinha, BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly.