Interview/ Jagada Nand Singh, RJD state president
Q/ What is your assessment of the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar?
A/ They [the NDA] are going now and will not return. They keep raising the issue of nationalism to incite passions. But people now understand their statements. The real issues are of jobs, farmers and the poor. Tejashwi Yadav has promised to give jobs, as he had already shown during his tenure.
Q/ Does the Ram Temple have resonance in the state?
A/ Who has a problem with the temple? No one has a problem with the masjid also. People live together peacefully in the state. They talk about temples all the time, but do not focus on removing inequalities and empowering the poor. South India has the most temples, but it also has better literacy and other parameters. Here temples are used to incite passions.
Q/ Nitish Kumar has been switching sides frequently.
A/ He is not a politician, but an opportunist. After the 2014 elections, he sought refuge in Lalu Prasad as he wanted to save himself. He is a student of the socialist school. After 2015, he has not been able to come to power on his own. The BJP and the JD(U) have to save each other. But they will not last. Nitish weakened the fight against communal forces.
Q/ What has changed under them?
A/ Inequality has increased. In some parameters, India has gone below African countries. Look at the hunger index, we have gone down. They talk about changing the preamble of the Constitution. During Covid, the inequality increased in the country. The rich became richer and the poor poorer. The fight is between those who want to change the Constitution and those want to save it.