The RJD leader challenged Mr. Shah to hold a debate with him and “leave Lalu-ji”.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday (April 1, 2025) challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to a debate with him based on facts.
Mr. Yadav was reacting to allegations made by Mr. Shah during a visit to Gopalganj on Sunday (March 30, 2025), when the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader slammed the RJD’s rule in Bihar, and Mr. Yadav’s father, Lalu Prasad, over ‘jungle raj’ in the State.
Mr. Yadav presented data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to state that 60,000 murders, over one lakh kidnappings, more than three lakh thefts, and 25,000 cases of rape had been recorded in Bihar during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s 20-year rule. Mr. Yadav said the Union Home Minister should “do his homework” before speaking.
“He does not come to Bihar after getting the facts right. When he talks about the crime data of Bihar, he should also talk about the NCRB data, which is not mine but comes under his (the Home Minister’s) department. He talks about ‘jungle raj’. Amit Shah-ji should also talk about the observation made by the Supreme Court in the shelter home case,” Mr. Yadav said, addressing the media at his party office.
The RJD leader challenged Mr. Shah to hold a debate with him and “leave Lalu-ji”.
“You should call Tejashwi for a face-to-face talk. Tejashwi is enough for you people and Tejashwi can give you the correct answer with all the data and figures,” he said.
“When did my father have his brother and sister-in-law elected as MLAs? You don’t even know about it. If you will tease us, we won’t spare you. Amit Shah-ji is the leader in the party (the BJP) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but he does not have correct figures. He only lies and makes false statements,” Mr. Yadav said.
Mr. Yadav alleged that when elections arrived, BJP leaders visited Bihar to make big announcements, but when the elections were over, the announcements became “mere slogans”.
“Elections are going to be held in Bihar and everyone knows this, but only the BJP knows when it will happen because when the BJP directs the Election Commission, the election will be held. However, the people of Bihar are ready to teach them a lesson,” Mr. Yadav said.
Mr. Yadav said that Mr. Shah only found nepotism in Lalu Prasad’s family but ignored the families of Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi from his own alliance.
“Amit Shah-ji asks us what Lalu Prasad did. I will tell you what we did in 17 months. We made the IT and tourism policy, gave employment to 3.50 lakh youth, made contractual teachers as government teachers, and doubled the honorarium of Tola Sevaks and Shiksha Mitras,” Mr. Yadav said.
“The Home Minister said that he would build Janaki Mandir, but it already exists, and renovation and beautification work is left,” Mr. Yadav said.
“He (Mr. Shah) talks about seizing property in the fodder scam. He should try to recover ₹3,000 crore in the Srijan scam first,” Mr. Yadav said.
When asked about Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh referring to him as Harishchandra, Mr. Yadav said, “Lalan Singh-ji is in the BJP.”
“Whatever Amit Shah will tell him, he will do. He will stand, sit, and even dance on his instruction. His heart and mind is devoted to PM Modi and Amit Shah-ji,” Mr. Yadav said.
Published – April 01, 2025 11:10 pm IST
