Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said on Saturday that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders inducted into the state cabinet have been told not to buy a new vehicle for themselves and not to let people older than them touch their feet. He also asked ministers to be gentle and courteous with everyone and to help the poor and needy as a priority, regardless of their caste and religion.
“We have asked all Honorable Ministers of the RJD Quota to comply with the following request,” Tejashwi Yadav said in a Facebook post. “Ministers from the Rashtriya Janata Dal quota…will not purchase any new vehicles for themselves.”
“Rashtriya Janata Dal ministers will not allow workers, sympathizers, sympathizers or anyone older than him to touch their feet. Will promote the tradition of greeting, namaste and adaab with folded hands for courtesy and greetings,” reads social media.
He also encouraged ministers to exchange pens or books instead of offering bouquets.
The RJD leader further instructed his ministers to promote honesty, transparency, timeliness and speedy implementation in all ministerial work under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
As a sixth and final request, he asked ministers to promote all the development work of the chief minister, the government and their departments on social media so that “the public can get positive information about each of your initiatives”.
The list of demands was made public as part of RJD’s bid to shed the ‘Jungle Raj’ tag that Nitish Kumar successfully used in his election campaigns to keep Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party out of power in Bihar. With RJD back in government after almost five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party uses the ‘Jungle Raj’ bogey to attack the Mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance.
Days after Tejashwi Yadav was sworn in as Nitish Kumar’s deputy, BJP cited recent cases of heinous crimes in the state and alleged involvement of some ministers in criminal cases to say Bihar is returning in the “jungle raj”.
Dismissing the allegations, JD(U) Chairman Lalan Singh said the BJP’s allegations on the law and order situation were nothing but “vidhwa vilap” (widow’s cry) after he lost power in the state.
“If stray incidents occur, it does not reflect the overall law and order situation. There is rule of law in Bihar under the government led by Nitish Kumar and it will remain so. No one will hear their (BJP) crying after losing power,” he said.
