Tejashwi slams govt, says governor’s address doesn’t reflect reality

Patna: Leader of opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday slammed the Nitish Kumar govt, saying the rosy picture presented by governor Arif Mohammed Khan in his address did not reflect the ground reality in Bihar.

Seated in a wheelchair outside the assembly hall due to an injury to his left leg toe, Tejashwi spoke to reporters after the governor addressed the joint sitting of the assembly and legislative council on the opening day of the month-long budget session.


“Whosoever the governor is, he or she reads the govt-prepared written speech. He therefore presented a rosy picture about the state and the govt, but Bihar lags behind other states on the parameters of human development indices (HDIs),” Tejashwi said.

Targeting CM Nitish Kumar, he added, “The CM has been in power for the last 20 years. The govt has remained silent and has not explained why the state continues to lag on HDIs.” He also alleged that incidents of rape, murder and other crimes were occurring with alarming frequency. “The government keeps harping on the rule of law, but all this sounds hollow as crime remains uncontrolled,” he said.

Tejashwi also took a swipe at the Union Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, mocking the NDA’s “double engine govt.” “Union Budgets appear to have been reduced to election stunts. Last year, she wore a Madhubani sari as Bihar elections were due. This year she wore a Kanjeevaram sari because assembly elections are due in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Earlier, Tejashwi entered the assembly premises in a wheelchair, wearing a white pyjama-kurta and black bundi, with his left leg toe bandaged. “I was playing a game and injured my toe. The toenail was surgically removed, and walking has become difficult,” he said.

Meanwhile, his elder sister Rohini Acharya mocked him in a social media post, saying, “A wound in the body causes pain, but the hurt caused to the heart is far more distressing.”

JD(U) minister Ashok Choudhary also took a jibe, saying, “He told me about his toe and nail injury. He has been a sportsman and a cricketer, and should have known that cricket is played wearing shoes.”