Bihar was the greatest concern for the opposition alliance after chief minister Nitish Kumar, one of the key architects of the INDIA bloc, all of a sudden decided to fall into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s embrace just before the election. This debilitating blow had the potential of completely dismantling the coalition of forces that emerged to resist Narendra Modi’s attempts to retain power for the third consecutive term.
But the young Tejashwi Yadav summoned his courage to fortify the crumbling citadel and stood like a rock in the way of BJP-Janata Dal (United) combine which would have swept the polls under normal circumstances. Tejashwi, with the help of the Congress and the Left, has turned Bihar into one of the key battlegrounds of this election, along with states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal. He spoke to The Wire about his campaign and his expectations from the elections.
Edited excerpts below.
Your campaign if focused on jobs. Your politics seems to rely on substantive issues, not so much on rhetorical flourish. Was it a conscious decision or the exceptional job crisis that compelled you to traverse this path?
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is a party that has fingers on the pulse of the people. If you pick up our manifesto for the last Bihar assembly elections you will see employment was already one of our most prominent promises to the people. It was our assessment of the job crisis, when no one was willing to recognise that unemployment has become such a menace. Remember this was the time when the media was full of propaganda emerging from the BJP on the matter. The people of Bihar gave us a mandate on the issue of livelihood and dignity and made us the largest party in the legislature. And yes, the conscious decision is to do politics for people’s welfare, not power. Unlike Narendra Modi, satta is not the purpose. Have you heard from Modi about padhai-dawai-sichai-kamai (education, healthcare, irrigation, livelihood)? Kam ki baat kabhi bolte nahin. Bas jhooth bolna aur gali dena (He never talks about real issues. He only lies and abuses rivals).
Whatever your politics, the criticism you face is linked to your father (Lalu Prasad)’s tenure, be it the cases of corruption or crimes that happened in the past. Do you hold a grudge that you are not judged for your own politics?
My father has faced longstanding hostility from mainstream political commentators for his rootedness and his transformative politics. Bihar’s society was brutally unequal and his call for social justice brought tectonic shifts. It was natural that he would face criticism because of that. I feel that these commentators have been greatly unfair to him. They couldn’t say that we hate equality and are against social justice, so they keep repeating lies about trumped up charges against him. Today it is evident that Laluji has paid dearly for sticking to his principles. My politics is no different from his and I am proud that this is my legacy.
Your pinned tweet suggests Lalu Prasad was maligned and tormented because he refused to align with the BJP. Are you saying the BJP’s stance on corruption is shaped by duplicity and political blackmail?
What is there to say any more about it? BJP has shamelessly normalised political intimidation in India. Every citizen knows how Modi has used ED-CBI and Income Tax Department…as if they are political tools to harass opponents and critics. It has now reached such an extent that even their blind supporters are not able to ignore it.
Modi is obviously trying to create communal tension. He talks of Hindu-Muslim and goes so far as to say that the opposition will run a bulldozer on the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Is the opposition alliance so foolish and so destructive?
There is one major difference between the Modi-BJP brand of politics and the politics that is resisting it. Modi is keeping people in hatred. His solutions for past wrongs, which are not even true in most cases, are violent, destructive and cruel. The opposition on the other hand is focused on livelihood, dignity and harmony. This is a simple truth that all common Indians recognise and realise. It is the BJP that is destructive. Modi ji kuchh bhi bolte hain, ab logon par fark nahin padta. Log hans rahe hain unpar. Manhgai, rozgar aur gareebi ki baat nahin karte. Hum sanrakshatmak aur rachnatmak rajneeti karte hain, aur Modi ki rajneeti vidhwansak hai (Modi says anything, now people don’t take him seriously. People are laughing at him. He doesn’t talk about high prices, jobs and poverty. We do constructive politics, we protect people. Modi’s politics is destructive).
How confident are you about removing this government on June 4? What if the BJP manages to sew up a coalition despite losing majority? What if INDIA falls short of a majority? Will you talk to other parties which are aligned with the BJP or are neutral?
Ab janata unko hatana chahti hai (Now people want to remove Modi). We have tightened the screws in Bihar. They will lose heavily here. Across the country, there is anger against Modi. They have fooled people. As far as manipulation and post-poll machinations are concerned, nobody understands the devious ways of the BJP better than us. Their politics is power by hook or crook. Our alliance INDIA is bound by a politics that aims to safeguard India’s constitutional ethos and the welfare of its people. We call upon all parties and individuals who share this aim.
What steps will a young politician like you suggest to the new government to strengthen institutions, securalise systems and society, and deepen our democratic roots?
It is my belief that our institutions have been captured by intimidation. Dara ke kabze mein kiya hai. We have to ensure an atmosphere of fairness and rule of law so that the officials who understand everything but were forced to watch the destruction helplessly, can restore the proper functioning of the institutions. It is a question of political will and good intent. We will work hard at making the institutions more robust and ensure their autonomy.
The main attack that you and your family face from the BJP is because of dynastic politics. Even the prime minister targets you, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi for the dynastic control of your respective parties. Is that a primary concern in politics in India today?
Modiji has shown that there are other ways in which internal democracy in parties can be undermined. His tight grip on the BJP, which created a chill among even the top leaders of the party, is not democratic by any stretch of the imagination. The voters in India have sent representatives to Parliament and legislatures based on their assessment of their past performance as well as their future potential. They have been unsparing in this regard. It is only fair that privilege is questioned but people will also judge us for our work and our potential.
