Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav unilaterally declared himself as the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance in Bihar. The announcement came during a rally in Ara, in presence of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. Rahul, who has so far avoided commenting on the CM face issue, was present on the dais, yet remained silent as Tejashwi took charge.
Tejashwi’s attack on Nitish Kumar
At the rally, Tejashwi launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, branding him a "copycat Chief Minister" for merely replicating policies without any originality. “Tejashwi is moving ahead. The government is following behind,” Tejashwi told the crowd, saying that while he was taking bold steps forward, Nitish Kumar was merely copying his policies and announcements.
The ‘original vs duplicate’ debate
Tejashwi went on to ask the crowd whether they wanted an "original chief minister" or a "duplicate CM," positioning himself as the "original" candidate for the top job in Bihar. This assertion clearly marked his intentions to take the leadership role in the Grand Alliance, despite the lack of clarity from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress on the issue.
The 'vote theft' row
Rahul Gandhi has claimed that this march is in protest against what they call "vote theft" and aimed at the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The roadshow began on August 17 in Sasaram and has so far covered over a dozen districts, including Gaya, Nawada, Darbhanga, and Purnea. It is scheduled to conclude in Patna after passing through Bhojpur.
Rahul Gandhi launched an attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in poll-bound Bihar and said that the two were working in a partnership against the opposition parties.
"Our entire pressure is to change the behaviour of the Election Commission and we will not leave it. We will not let you steal the election in Bihar. You stole in Maharashtra. You stole in Haryana. In Karnataka, we clearly showed that votes were stolen. We will not let it happen here," Gandhi said.
Tejashwi Yadav said, "The Election Commission is no longer Election Commission. It has become Godi Aayog. Now the Election Commission, is working like a cell of BJP party, a worker of BJP. To save democracy, to save the constitution, to save the right to vote, and to save the existence of the people, Rahul Gandhi ji and all of us have set out on this yatra. And one thing is clear on this yatra that we have also visited rural areas at the ground level. The credibility of the Election Commission has ended..."
