'Itna zyaada paida karna chahiye kisi ko': Nitish Kumar takes a dig a Lalu Prasad; Tejaswi Yadav hits back

Taking a dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad without taking his name, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today took aim at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, accusing him of perpetuating dynastic politics within the state. Kumar's said 'Ab paida to bahut kar diya. Itna zyaada paida karna chahiye kisi ko'.

Kumar hit out at Lalu Prasad for appointing his wife as Bihar's chief minister following his own resignation from the position. At the rally, Kumar expressed disdain over what he perceived as an excessive promotion of family members in politics, remarking, "Nowadays, (promoting) his children."



He further questioned the extent of familial appointments, rhetorically asking, "Produced too many…Should anyone produce so many children?" Kumar highlighted the involvement of Yadav's daughters, Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya, in the ongoing parliamentary elections, with Bharti contesting from Pataliputra and Acharya from Saran Lok Sabha seat.

"Some people claim everything these days. They appointed their wives when they were removed. Now, it is their children these days. 'Ab paida to bahut kar diya. Itna zyaada paida karna chahiye kisi ko, baal baccha?'... Now they have involved their sons, daughters, and everyone. They keep saying something or other everywhere. They forget the old things, hence, I want to tell everyone that no work used to get done. People could not get out, there were no roads or education..." Kumar said in a rally.

The Yadav family's political influence extends to previous government roles, with Lalu Prasad Yadav's younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, serving as the deputy chief minister in the previous Nitish-led government. Additionally, Tej Pratap Yadav, the older son, held the environment portfolio. Tejashwi Yadav has emerged as a significant challenger to Nitish Kumar's longstanding governance in Bihar.

Tejaswi Yadav's response:
After Nitish Kumar's taunt made waves, Lalu's son, Tejashwi Yadav, replied by asking if such "personal comments" from the JD-U leader would benefit the people of Bihar.

"He (Nitish Kumar) can say anything to us. Whatever he says is like a blessing for me... But the thing is, will such personal remarks benefit the people of Bihar... In elections, issues should be discussed... Who is writing such speeches for him?... He should speak on education, employment and stopping migration," Yadav.

Congress attacks Nitish Kumar:
In a separate event, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized Nitish Kumar during election rallies in Bihar, accusing the Chief Minister of lacking principles and posing a greater threat than even the BJP due to his perceived opportunism. Kharge's remarks underscored the political volatility within Bihar, particularly amidst shifting alliances and ideological alignments. Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) is currently contesting the Lok Sabha elections as part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), following Kumar's departure from the opposition INDIA bloc that he had previously helped form.