Congress rushes Gehlot to meet RJD brass amid row over seat sharing

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday met RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav, apparently with the mandate to defuse tensions with the ally, which has plunged the INDIA bloc into turmoil in poll-bound Bihar.

Emerging out of the talks, Gelhot said the Mahagathbandhan was united and ready to fight the poll. “There may be four or five ‘friendly fights’ but that is not a major issue,” he said.

Gehlot said winning Bihar was extremely important for the opposition alliance. He evaded a direct reply when asked whether the Congress was ready to declare RJD supremo’s son Tejashwi as the chief ministerial candidate.

At a press conference, Tejashwi refused to answer questions related to the Mahagathbandhan’s seat-sharing formula. “I will answer your questions tomorrow,” Tejashwi said. All allies are expected to hold a joint presser.

The RJD suffered a setback as the papers of its candidate from Mohania were rejected due to duplicity of address.

After being mocked by the NDA for offering one government job to each family in Bihar if the Mahagathbandhan comes to power, Tejashwi on Wednesday came out with another dole. He said if his alliance was voted to power, supervisors among Jeevika Didis of self-help groups (SHGs) would be absorbed as government employees with a salary of Rs 30,000 per month. Calling Jeevika Didis an exploited lot under the Nitish government, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar promised to waive off interest on existing loans taken by the SHGs and provide them with interest-free credit for the next two years.

He also promised the Jeevika Didis a health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per year.

Tejashwi also promised to regularise contractual government workers — estimated to be around four lakh.

According to estimates, there are around two lakh supervisors among 1.45 crore Jeevika Didis in Bihar.

At a mega event in New Delhi last month, PM Modi had transferred Rs 10,000 to each Jeevila Didi, numbering 75 lakh, as seed money for Rs 2 lakh loan they are to be given by banks.