"Idhar udhar ki baat na karein, muddey ki baat karein": RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav urges PM Modi to discuss poverty, unemployment

Gaya (Bihar) [India], April 12 : Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to focus on key issues like poverty, unemployment, special status to Bihar, iterating that he always sidesteps from engaging in discussions on issues of the people.
"I have been speaking about jobs, about employment, about inflation for long. He doesn't give an account for that. PM can say anything he wants but public wants to hear what he did for the people of Bihar. We are demanding an account of things that they did for Bihar in 10 years. PM should give an account of 10 years. Idhar udhar ki baat na karein, muddey ki baat karein Pradhanmantri," said Tejashwi.
His remarks come after PM Modi on Friday attacked the 'Mughal' mindset of INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav and his son, Tejashwi Yadav for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and teasing them by cooking mutton during Sawan and eating fish during Navratri.
Prime Minister's remarks were about Rahul Gandhi's visit to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, where he cooked mutton at the latter's residence on September 2, 2023. The Wayanad MP had also shared a video in this regard on his YouTube channel.
PM Modi's comparison of the opposition to the Mughals and their alleged attempts to "tease the people of the country" through the video was met with criticism from Yadav. He urged a focus on real issues affecting the nation rather than resorting to divisive rhetoric.
"...Key issues like poverty, unemployment, how many jobs provided, need to be discussed. Why didn't PM Modi eradicate poverty?...why was Bihar not given special status?" said Tejashwi.
The Prime Minister targeted Tejashwi Yadav over his video in which he was eating a fish in a helicopter with former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni. Tejashwi in the video described how they got only 10-15 minutes to have lunch amid hectic election campaigning. He also showed the food he was having, which included fish and roti.
"You are eating non-veg in Navratra, with which intentions are you showing the video? You are hurting the intentions of the people. And I know that after these remarks, they will come after me. But when lines are crossed, then it is my role to speak the truth in front of the people," he said.
However, Tejashwi Yadav took a jibe at the BJP and said that the video that was posted had a date of April 8, a day before Navarati started.
He tagged the video with a caption that read, "Food in helicopter amidst the hustle and bustle of election! Date- 08/04/2024."
"I uploaded this video to test the IQ of the BJP and the Godi media and was proved right in my thinking. The post clearly mentions the date but what do the Andhbhakts know?" Tejashwi said in a separate post on the same thread.
Rajya Sabha MP & RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha defended Tejashwi and said, "Tejashwi (Yadav) is mainly talking about employment... You (PM Narendra Modi) should talk about jobs, employment, social security, the old pension scheme and social harmony. Tejashwi (Yadav) is already talking about all this... You play a big role in protecting democracy, so talk about employment."

Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan took a dig at Tejashwi Yadav's statement of winning all 40 seats in Bihar. He said, "Last time, we were only 3 parties (in alliance)... And we won 39 out of 40 seats. Today, two more parties are giving us strength... This means we have more strength than in 2019... We missed one seat last time, we will win it this time. Bihar will contribute to winning more than 400 seats and making PM Modi the prime minister for the third time."

Bihar will witness polling for 40 Lok Sabha seats across all seven phases. In Phase 1, voting will be held in four seats. The state will witness polling on 5 seats each from Phase 2 to Phase 5. In Phases 6 and 7, elections will be held for 8 seats each.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, consisting of the BJP, JDU (Janata Dal-United), and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), secured victory by winning 39 out of 40 seats. While, the Mahagathbandhan, led by RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), INC (Indian National Congress), and RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party), only managed to secure one seat.
The BJP won 17 seats with a vote share of 24.1 per cent, while JD(U) secured victory on 16 seats with a vote share of 22.3 per cent. LJP had won 6 seats with a vote share of 8 per cent, while INC had won only one seat with a vote share of 7.9 per cent.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 22 seats. Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) won 6 seats. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 4 seats. While the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 2 seats.