Contest sans alliance, you won’t even cross double-digit: Tejashwi challenges Nitish

Peeved over the sharp attack on his father and mother, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the JD (U) virtual rally, the RJD’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav has challenged the JD (U) strongman: “Contest the election without alliance, you won’t even cross the double-digit.”

To buttress his point, Tejashwi cited the results of the 1995 Bihar Assembly elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“Parting ways from the original Janata Dal, you formed Samata Party in 1994 and contested the 1995 Assembly polls on your own, without entering into an alliance with anyone, and you won seven seats out of 324 constituencies in the undivided Bihar,” said Tejashwi, reminding Nitish that his rise was only on the basis of his alliance either with the BJP or the RJD.

“Again, after dumping the BJP in 2013, you contested the Parliamentary polls in 2014 alone and won merely two seats. I challenge you to contest in 2020 without any alliances. You will not even cross the double-digit figure,” the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly said.

Pained over one of the sharpest attacks on Lalu and Rabri regime (Nitish often termed the previous RJD regime as Pati-Patni raj during his speech on Monday), Tejashwi said that if his parents were so incompetent then why did he (Nitish) seek their support during the 2015 Assembly elections.

“You joined hands with the RJD because you wanted to give the Narendra Modi-led BJP a crushing defeat in 2015. Now you are abusing the same RJD with whose support you rode to power,” he said. Tejashwi was Nitish’s deputy in the Grand Alliance Government (2015-17).

“It’s my claim as well as a challenge that your ‘pratapi chehra’ (impressive face) won’t fetch you seats in double-digit if you contest on your own,” tweeted Tejashwi in Hindi.