Congress leader Ashok Gehlot with AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and others during a meeting ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Credit: X/@ashokgehlot51
Patna: Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday made it categorically clear that there was no rift within the Mahagatbandhan and “all confusion within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will be cleared by Thursday.”
Tejashwi was responding after senior Congress observer for Bihar and former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot met RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the Opposition’s undeclared Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav here in Patna on Wednesday.
Sources privy to the meet said that the ‘fruitful talks’ centred around how to avoid friendly fights amongst the constituents of the Mahagatbandhan. Of the 243 seats, altogether 254 candidates of the RJD-led alliance are in the fray, which includes Congress and RJD face off in five seats while Congress and CPI on three seats, besides three with VIP.
“Our sole aim is to defeat the NDA. For this, we will have to avoid friendly fights. There is still some time for corrective measures. All the confusion will be removed by Thursday,” said Gehlot, who has been specially despatched by the Congress High Command to Patna to douse the fire within the Mahagatbandhan which has been presenting a picture of disunity and lack of coordination among the alliance partners.
TEJASHWI DOLES OUT SOPS
Emboldened over the fruitful talks on Wednesday, which may unite all the constituents of the Mahagatbandhan, Tejashwi promised to hike the salary of Jeevika Didis (community mobilisers) up to Rs 30000 and waive off the interest on loan they have secured.
Notably, the Nitish regime in Bihar is spearheading the World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihood Projects (BRLP), which, in local parlance, is called Jeevika and the women associated with the projects are called Jeevika Didi.
“All the contractual employees in Bihar Government will be made permanent, including 2 lakh Jeevika Didis. These Jeevika Didis will be given Rs 30000 as salary, besides a health insurance of Rs 5 lakh each, if we are voted to power,” said Tejashwi here on Wednesday.
The BJP slammed Tejashwi for promising sops for Jeevika Didis. “Tejashwi is promising moon to Jeevika Didis who know very well that such dreams won’t be ever fulfilled,” said Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat choudhary, who is also the Finance Minister in Nitish’s Cabinet.