'Smart people understand it': Tejashwi Yadav on poll-bound Bihar's CM face

Patna, April 24 (IANS) Bihar Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav said on Thursday that he does not want to speak about the Chief Minister’s face in the poll-bound state, as ‘smart people’ understand who the face is.

“Everything was decided in the last meeting. Those who are smart understand it well. Ask NDA who their CM face is. For them, it’s Nitish Kumar till elections, but not after,” said the LoP, after attending the INDIA Bloc’s second meeting within eight days at Congress’s state office Sadaqat Ashram in Patna.

The LoP said that the INDIA Bloc has already decided on the Chief Minister.

“We won’t say it out loud. If you get it, you get it,” Yadav said.

Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav launched a scathing attack on the Central and state governments, accusing them of systematically weakening local self-governance and ignoring Bihar's developmental needs.

"The Bihar government is working to intimidate Panchayats and snatch away their rights. The Mukhiya are being threatened, and an atmosphere of fear has been created in various Panchayats of Bihar," he said.

Tejashwi's remarks come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar and addressed a rally in Madhubani on Panchayati Raj Day.

Tejashwi, the former Deputy Chief Minister, alleged that elected representatives at the grassroots are being sidelined, and centralisation of power is weakening democracy at the village level.

He also painted a grim picture of Bihar's socio-economic situation: "Despite 20 years of NDA rule in Bihar and 11 years at the Centre, Bihar remains India's most backward state."

"Over three to four crore people have migrated. Per capita income is the lowest, farmer incomes are abysmal, and there is no industry or business in sight in Bihar," Tejashwi, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, claimed.

--IANS

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