Bihar Battle: Tejashwi Yadav says 'every Bihari will become CM', seeks 'one chance' to make people 'chinta mukt'

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav kicked off his election campaign by appealing to the people to give him ‘one chance.’

“Nitish chacha has been ruling for the last 20 years. The time has come to change the government,” he said in his speech at five locations across four districts. “People migrate out of Bihar to either study, search for jobs, or seek medical treatment. I will stop all this in five years — what Nitish Kumar could not do in 20 years,” he claimed.

He emphasised that he was not fighting for the position of Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister. “We are contesting the election to build a new Bihar. Bihar will be the first state where every family will have at least one person in a government job,” he stressed.

Expressing concern as a Bihari, he said, “I feel sad that Bihar is among the poorest states. We will take everyone with us — all castes and all creeds.”

He said corruption was at an all-time high, questioning, "Can anything be accomplished without paying bribes at police stations and government offices?" He urged the crowd to hold the BJP accountable, highlighting that for the last 20 years, the people of Bihar have voted for both the state and national governments. "Now is the time to ask them what they have done for Bihar," he said. He also pointed out that despite having three ministers in the Bihar Cabinet, they have not contributed anything to the district.

Nitish chacha has been hijacked

During his addresses, Tejashwi hinted that the BJP would not make Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister again. He claimed, “They have hijacked Nitish chacha,” adding, “That is why Amit Shah is saying that the MLAs will decide the matter this time.” Tejashwi also criticised the government's prohibition policy, which has been enforced in Bihar since 2016. Ironically, RJD was then a partner of JDU and supported the total ban on alcohol in the state. He stated that in the name of prohibition, the poor and downtrodden were being harassed and extorted by the police. Previously, Tejashwi had declared that he would abolish prohibition in Bihar, if he came to power.

Tejashwi Yadav said he was not making false promises to attract voters. "If I become Chief Minister, every Bihari will become the CM. CM means ‘Chinta Mukt’," he declared. Emphasising that his promises were genuine, he said, "My promises are not jumlas." Reflecting on his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister, he mentioned that in 17 months, approximately five lakh youths were appointed to government jobs. "When I made the promise in the 2020 polls, Nitish Kumar retorted, asking if I would get the money from my parents. But I did it in just 17 months," he claimed.

He criticised Nitish Kumar's actions in the lead-up to the 2025 Assembly elections, alleging that the CM took significant steps only after the RJD made poll promises. "He hiked the pension for the elderly from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month. He hadn't done it for the last 20 years," Tejashwi said. "Similarly, he made 125 units of power consumption free after I promised 200 units free," he added.

Criticises PM Modi's 'jungle raj' remarks

He took a dig at PM Modi for labelling the RJD regime as "jungle raj”. He said: "Why doesn't he speak about law and order now, when daylight murders are reported every day? Why is he silent on the 55 scandals that have occurred during Nitish Kumar's regime?"

The RJD leader addressed public meetings in Saharsa, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali.