RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said allowances of the representatives of Bihar’s panchayati raj system will be doubled if the INDIA bloc comes to power in the state.
He also announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover and pension for them.
The panchayati raj system consists of three levels of governance – zila parishad, panchayat samiti, and gram panchayat. The chairpersons are known as ‘mukhiya’ (gram panchayat), ‘pramukh’ (panchayat samiti), and ‘adhyaksha’ (zila parishad).
“If the INDIA bloc is voted to power, we will also substantially increase the margin money, per quintal, of distributors of the public distribution system (PDS) in the state,” Yadav told reporters here.
He also announced that a lump sum of Rs 5 lakh for five years will be provided interest-free to people from marginalised communities, engaged in caste-based professions, to assist them financially.
"A lump sum of Rs 5 lakh, which will be interest-free, will be provided to the hardworking people of communities, including barbers, those engaged in the pottery business, and carpenters in the state, for five years to financially assist them. From this, they would be able to buy modern tools to sustain their (self) employment," Tejashwi said.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tejashwi argued that Bihar was being taken for a ride, given that major industries were being set up in Gujarat. He also mentioned the support that Mahagathbandhan has received from people ahead of the already announced assembly polls.
The RJD leader said Bihar is eager for change. "People are fed up with the incumbent government. Bihar's people will bring change. People gave them (NDA) 20 years. We just want 20 months. We will work towards making Bihar the Number 1 state."
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday took a swipe at the opposition alliance in Bihar, and said it will collapse under the weight of its own conflicts and contradictions.
Naqvi said alliances succeed not through feudal whims but through political understanding.
"The frustrated fraternity who criticises Prime Minister Narendra Modi day and night should learn the principles of alliance politics from him. Despite the BJP securing a full majority in the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019 elections, Modi ji formed a government by taking his alliance partners along, and this government continues to successfully pursue the path of good governance," Naqvi told PTI.
Had the Congress received a full majority, it would have "thrown its allies out as if they are of absolutely no consequence" because upholding the principles of alliance politics is neither the custom nor the character of that party, the former Union minister claimed.
"Their alliance is like 'Mungerilal ke haseen sapne' and it is like 'ek anaar sau bimaar'," Naqvi said using popular Hindi idioms.
Union minister Nityanand Rai on Saturday hit out at the RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over his poll promise to bring change in just 20 months.
In a sharp attack on RJD, Rai said they won't talk about development in those 20 months; rather, they will orchestrate robberies, grab the lands of the poor or set up a kidnapping industry.
Speaking to ANI, Nityanand Rai said, "What can they do in 20 months? They won't talk about development; they will orchestrate robberies, grab the lands of the poor or set up a kidnapping industry."
Lauding the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government, Rai stated, "The work that has been done in the last 20 years under the NDA government and the leadership of Nitish Kumar is not even in their (Tejashwi Yadav's) thinking. Uplifting women, the poor, farmers, and youth is not even in their intentions."
The 243-member Bihar assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results set to be announced on November 14.
The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections are set to witness a direct contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan.
The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), includes Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation led by Dipankar Bhattacharya, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Mukesh Sahani's VIP.
Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party has announced that it will contest all 243 Assembly seats in the state.
