Rabri defends Tejashwi’s absence from Raghopur

Patna: As the INDIA bloc’s CM face, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, goes all out seeking the support from the masses, grievances also surfaced against him from villagers of the Raghopur assembly seat in Vaishali district—his trusted home constituency.Former CM Rabri Devi confronted scores of people registering complaints against her son, Tejashwi, as she rushed to the constituency on Thursday, seeking support for her son.“Aapka beta jo vidhayak hai, nahin aata hai kshetra me (Your son, who is an MLA, doesn’t pay visits to his constituency),” complained a woman as Rabri reached the Pahadpur east locality of the Raghopur constituency on Thursday. Another man alleged that Lalu Prasad’s family treats Raghopur as a “stepson”.“Tejashwi ji doesn’t visit during floods; he comes only during elections,” complained another elderly villager. “Tejashwi was seen dancing (on the road) during floods but didn’t come here to meet us,” he complained.However, Rabri defended her son, flashing smiles, saying Tejashwi, being the CM face of INDIA bloc, has the responsibility of covering entire Bihar. Denying that Raghopur has been given a step-motherly treatment, the former CM said Raghopur is like their home.“Raghopur is our most beloved constituency,” she claimed, pacifying the anger of the local villagers.Raghopur has elected two CMs—Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi—and a deputy CM, Tejashwi, who has been winning this seat since the 2015 assembly elections.The Raghopur assembly seat has always been considered the safest seat for the Lalu family, but this time the public’s mood appears a bit different. They are not only openly asking questions about development in the area, flood control, and employment but have also started seeking answers from leaders.Raghopur attracted attention when earlier Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor announced that he would contest against Tejashwi. However, he suddenly backed out, claiming he was shouldering the responsibility to campaign for party candidates for all 243 assembly seats.