RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday squarely ruled out any realignment with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ahead of the assembly elections scheduled later this year.
Nitish pulled out of the grand alliance to return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last year.
"Why would we join hands? Why are you trying to divert attention from the issue at hand?," said Yadav when reporters asked him about the possibility of a tie-up with Nitish.
#WATCH | Patna: Bihar Leader of Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav against Bihar govt demanding 65% reservation in educational and public employment. pic.twitter.com/wSoqnMEvNm
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2025
There have been speculations that the BJP may push for a leadership change in Bihar if the NDA wins the elections and that the RJD is keen on exploiting the situation.
Asked about it, Yadav said: "There is no offer from anybody. In my party, only RJD president Lalu ji and I are authorised to take any decision on alliances. Please do not talk nonsense".
Pointing out the instances when Nitish tried to touch the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav said the chief minister was no longer in his senses.
"The day may not be far when Kumar will be falling at the feet of his two current deputies Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary," he mocked.
The RJD leader also alleged that the chief minister seemed unconcerned about the need for a nationwide caste census. Nitish had conducted a caste survey in Bihar when he was in alliance with the RJD and the Congress.
Yadav also accused the BJP of working on its "anti-reservation agenda" in Bihar. "This is why the state government's lawyers in the Supreme Court are not arguing properly when the petition on quotas is heard," he alleged.
