Tejashwi Yadav’s poll promises impractical BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad

    Patna, Oct 23 (PTI) BJP Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday dismissed RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s poll promises as "impractical" and accused him and his family of corruption.
    The former Union minister alleged that the RJD was planning "to take away people’s land under the garb of providing government jobs," in an apparent reference to the alleged ‘land-for-job’ scam during the party’s previous tenure.
    "Yadav has promised to provide a government job to at least one person in 2.6 crore households, which will require an estimated expenditure of Rs 12 lakh crore. Bihar’s total budget is around Rs 3 lakh crore. From where will he provide these jobs?” Prasad asked while talking to reporters here.
    Reacting to Yadav’s promise to regularise contractual workers, including community mobilisers such as Jeevika Didis, Prasad said, "The Jeevika Didi scheme is a brainchild of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Around 1.21 crore women have benefited from the scheme. Now Yadav is trying to take credit for it."
    He accused the RJD of making "false promises to mislead voters" and claimed that the people of Bihar would not trust a party "whose track record is tainted by corruption and misgovernance".
    Responding to Yadav’s charge that the NDA lacked vision, Prasad said, "The development works done by the NDA are visible to everyone. Our organisation is strong and rooted. Nitish Kumar is capable of good governance. People trust the double-engine government led by Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar."
    The BJP leader alleged that the RJD rule was marked by "fear, loot and corruption", which earned it the tag of ‘jungle raj’.
    "Yadav claims he did a lot of work when he was in government. He should answer who was the chief minister when he served as deputy CM. He only makes hollow announcements, while the NDA is an alliance of action," Prasad remarked.
    Attacking the Yadav family, the BJP leader said, "You (Tejashwi) talk about corruption, which story do you believe in? The story of your father, your mother, or yours?"
    He pointed out that Tejashwi and his parents, Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, are facing trial in an alleged quid pro quo scam related to awarding tenders for two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri in exchange for land transfers to the Yadav family at a prime location in Patna when Lalu was the railway minister.
    "About 3.5 acres of land along Bailey Road in Patna was transferred to Lalu’s family through Delight Marketing Company. Tejashwi Yadav is an accused under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC, and he is questioning others on corruption," Prasad alleged.
    Prasad further said, "Lalu Prasad has been convicted in four cases of fodder scam, culminating into a sentence spanning 32 years and 5 months."

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)