Kishanganj : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday took a dig at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and said that the latter kept claiming credit for the work his government had done in the state.
Addressing a public meeting here today, the chief minister said that when he was in alliance with the RJD, he was the one who had said that would provide 10 lakh jobs and not Tejashwi who is claiming otherwise.
"Where did they provide job to anyone? Who used to get jobs earlier? We have been together for a few days and we only said that we were going to give 10 lakh jobs, but today he is saying that he has given so much, he has done everything. Was water from a tap available in someone's house earlier? We got it provided. Arrangements for toilets have been made. 'Jo hum kiye hain usi pe dawa karta rahta hai'," Kumar said.
Further, the Bihar CM asserted that from 2005 to 2020, his government had provided eight lakh government jobs. "One lakh more jobs are to come. By next year we will provide around 10 lakh jobs. When we came to power, we saw that there were more Self-Help Groups (SHG) in other states and less in Bihar. I started the Self-Help Group by taking a loan from the World Bank. We had decided that its number would exceed 10 lakh. People from Delhi came to see that and we named SHG 'Jeevika Didi' and when people from Delhi saw it, they started 'Aajeevika'," Nitish Kumar said.
"Earlier no woman could speak out and today they are speaking such a beautiful language. We have also worked for the women of the Muslim community. The assistance amount for divorced Muslim women has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. Madrasa teachers are being given salaries at par with government teachers, which was not the case earlier. The number of self-help groups has increased to 10 lakh 51 thousand and the number of Jeevika Didi has increased to 1 crore 31 lakh. Now we have started it in urban areas also and work is being done for everyone," he added.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday responded to Nitish Kumar's 'itna baal baccha' jibe at Lalu Yadav. Addressing a press conference here today, Tejashwi said that these types of remarks provide no benefit to the people of Bihar.
"I said this yesterday as well, we have all respect for Nitish Kumar. Whatever he says for our family, we see it as a blessing but these are personal things and won't be benefitting the people. This Lok Sabha election is going on and there is no benefit to the people of Bihar and the country by talking about all these things. This is a personal matter," he said.
The RJD leader added that when the time comes, he will write a book and explain everything.
"Now, the situation is that 4-5 people have hijacked our uncle (Nitish Kumar), and when the time comes I'll write a book, I'll explain all these things. It's not the first time that he has said this, he said this in the 2020 elections as well. I can only pray that his health remains good and he lives happily. It's not in our culture that we say something to someone who is a father figure to us," Tejashwi said.
The press conference by Tejashwi was held after former Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) party leader and Katihar MP Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser joined RJD today.
Tejashwi's response to Nitish Kumar's statement came after the latter on Saturday taunted Lalu Prasad over the leadership mantle in the party being passed from one family member to the other and asked if someone should have so many children.
"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.
Lalu Prasad's two daughters - Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya - are in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections. RJD has fielded Misa Bharti from Pataliputra and Rohini Acharya from Saran Lok Sabha seat.
Polling was held in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls at Jamui, Nawada, Gaya, and Aurangabad on April 19. The state, with 40 Lok Sabha seats will also witness polling in all the remaining six phases of the general elections.