‘We will make sure no one from Bihar needs to migrate’: Tejashwi Yadav

Exclusive interview/ Tejashwi Yadav, Chairman, RJD

AFTER WEEKS OF BACKROOM negotiations, the grand alliance announced Tejashwi Yadav, 35, as its chief ministerial candidate, making him the principal challenger in the Bihar assembly election. The RJD’s star campaigner and inheritor of his father’s social justice legacy, Tejashwi has broadened his appeal to include jobs and development—what he calls “economic justice”.

We met Tejashwi a day after he was announced as the CM face at his 1 Polo Road residence in Patna. The room reflected his ideological world: portraits of Jyotiba Phule, B.R. Ambedkar, Guru Ravidas, Mahatma Gandhi, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Ram Manohar Lohia shared space with large framed photographs of his parents, Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi. Idols of Krishna and Tirupati Balaji, along with a bust of Shivaji, dotted the shelves.

Personal memorabilia added warmth—family photographs spanning three generations, from a young Lalu and Rabri to Tejashwi’s wife and newborn child, and a cricket bat that hinted at his first passion. A wall map of Bihar’s constituencies and a row of solar lanterns, the RJD’s election symbol, lent the room a campaign urgency.

Relaxed, self-assured and dressed in a black T-shirt emblazoned with his party’s symbol and name, he said, “I’m in this for the long haul. What I say, I’ll do.” Excerpts from the first exclusive interview after he was announced the alliance’s CM candidate:

Q/ The grand alliance announced you as chief ministerial candidate after quite a delay. Your are up against a chief minister who has been in power for 20 years. When Nitish Kumar arrived, he spoke about change. Now you are talking about change. What change are we looking at?

Our alliance has at least officially announced a chief minister face. The NDA hasn’t done that. In fact, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has clearly said that the MLAs will choose the chief minister after the elections. So, we are already ahead of them.

Second, 20 years is a long time. If a person or an alliance has ruled for that long, that is enough time to change things. Yet Bihar remains the poorest state in India. It has the highest migration and unemployment. And the lowest per capita income. Farmers are struggling. Bihar has the most expensive electricity in the country. Sugar mills, jute mills, textile parks, all shut down. Education and health indicators are among the worst.

So when 20 years have passed, and Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi have ruled together under the NDA for 11 of those years, people are fed up. They are angry. They want change.

Q/ How is this election different from 2020, when you were a CM candidate, in terms of messaging and campaign style?

The 2020 election happened during Covid. It was a different experience—there was limited time, there were restrictions everywhere. There was even confusion whether elections would be held at all. This time, the people of Bihar fully trust us and the grand alliance. I’m confident that we will form the government.

Q/ One of your major campaign promises is a government job for every family. Experts say the numbers don’t add up and the state can’t afford it.

Our opponents can say what they like. Even in 2020, they said from where would I give jobs. Now, even they are saying that [Nitish Kumar] will give one crore jobs. First they should give an account from where will they give jobs. We’ll soon present the plan. We have scientific data, expert opinions and economic studies. We don’t make hollow promises as we have to play a long innings in politics. We’ve delivered earlier, and we will do it again.

Q/ The SIR issue was raised by you and Rahul Gandhi. There have been a few changes after the court’s intervention. Do you think that will have an impact in this election?

People of Bihar are aware. We raised the issue. We got relief from courts. Aadhaar was added as an additional document. This helped those people whose names were getting deleted. That was a fight to save democracy itself, whether on the streets, in Parliament or in court. People of Bihar understand the BJP’s strategy and why they bring such divisive issues in haste. It is becoming harder for them to convince voters about what happened suddenly when it was the same voter list through which Narendra Modi became prime minister.

Q/ The NDA says Nitish Kumar is leading its campaign, but you say it is unclear if he will remain CM if it wins. In a post-poll scenario, if the situation demands so, will you be open to ally with Nitish again?

Nitish ji is not in a condition to take care of Bihar. He is not able to control his party. The BJP has completely hijacked his government. It is being run from Delhi now. I think the JD(U) will finish after these polls and this will be Nitish Kumar’s last election. People can see through the arrangement.

Q/ Prashant Kishor, who is contesting for the first time, challenged you directly, but backed out. How do you view his challenge in these polls?

Everyone has the right to contest. My focus is on real issues—how to make Bihar number one, create jobs, improve education and health care, and attract industries. I will stay focused on that. There are many political parties who survive because they attack us. My focus is on development.

Q/ You said you would have zero tolerance for corruption and crime. Is it because of the consistent attack on you with jungle raj jibe?

People of Bihar know my nature. I don’t waste time on negativity. I don’t talk nonsense. I talk about real issues and positive things. I want to do positive politics. Our goal is to make Bihar a better, fairer state so that there is investment and industry. Till the time the law and order is not good, till there is no good power supply, there won’t be any industry. Others can say what they like, we will stay focused on results.

Q/ The grand alliance has also announced a deputy. More announcements seem to be in the offing. Will those be keeping in mind caste and community considerations?

You will soon know what we are thinking and what all communities will be represented. But look at the BJP. Since we announced the name of EBC (extremely backward caste) leader Mukesh Sahani, they’ve been panicking. They have shown their contempt for those from the EBCs. They are talking about those people who once they asked to go to Pakistan, and saying why no one from them was made deputy CM candidate. It shows their desperation. We will soon address their concern.

Q/ Your main message is meant for the youth, promising employment and systemic change.

Apart from social justice, this is an era of economic justice. If the youth are unemployed even after getting a degree, then how will Bihar move forward? If Bihar doesn’t progress, the country can’t either. Social justice and opportunity for youth and women are at the core of our agenda. Our role is to get them justice and what is due to them.

Q/ Nitish Kumar’s government has long claimed women as a loyal support base. You’ve been reaching out to them.

The truth is, they have only exploited women in the name of empowerment. That’s why the Rs10,000 loan is being given as a bribe. Calling it a business opportunity is a joke. What business can they start with Rs10,000? It’s deception, not development.

Q/ The Nitish and Modi governments announced many sops, incentives and schemes ahead of the polls. How do you look at that?

They are scared; that is why they are doing it. They know the grand alliance is coming to power. Women are also favouring the grand alliance.

Q/ Bihar still lacks industries. We have seen in the recent past that many non-BJP states promised industrial growth before elections, but now they are struggling with finances as they do not share a good relation with the Centre. How will you get more revenue?

We have a plan. We have a vision on how to go about it. Without revenue generation, nothing is possible. Let me give a small example. Thousands of Bihari students go to Kota (Rajasthan) for coaching. The students, teachers, cooks and hostel staff are all Biharis. If we create those opportunities here, if we make an education city here on 2,000 acres, then the money stays in Bihar. When local income rises, so will the state’s prosperity. We have many concrete plans for revenue generation.

Q/ If you win the elections, what change can the people of Bihar see in the next five years?

We have to change Bihar. People who ruled the state for 20 years were visionless. Have you heard even once Nitish Kumar or Modi talking about what they will do in the next five years? Never. We have a plan how to go about it. We will give such a system that the no one from Bihar needs to migrate for education, health care or livelihood.

Q/ What message will Bihar’s election send to the rest of India?

All eyes are on Bihar. The country is watching how people here vote for change. It will impact the country’s polity in a major way.