Tejashwi launches fresh tirade on migrants issue

PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday continued with his offensive against the Nitish Kumar government over a controversial circular on migrants, later withdrawn by the police headquarters, prompting the JD(U) to shed its reticence and cross swords with the opposition leader.

In front of the RJD'S state headquarters here, Yadav placed a huge banner with an enlarged screenshot of the circular, issued on May 29 but withdrawn on June 4, whereby districts had been alerted about "apprehensions of law and order problems" in view of the large-scale influx of migrants during the lockdown, besides "slim possibility" of migrants' economic rehabilitation in the home state despite the government's "tireless efforts".

Alongside the enlarged screenshot, on the same poster was the catchline: "Nitish Kumar owes an answer". Beneath it were queries "why did he (Kumar) see the labourers as goons? Why did the shramveers (heroes making a living out of labour) appear to him as criminals? Why did he call them lootera (those involved in looting)? Why did he go back on his promise of providing them employment?"

The 30-year-old younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, named by the party as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the assembly polls later this year, also shared video footage of his act at the Birchand Patel

Marg state headquarters on his official Twitter handle.

"Respected Nitish Kumar, who is serving under the BJP, has got a letter issued by the Home department wherein many derogatory and unsavoury remarks have been made against our migrant brethren. They have been called thieves, looters, goons and criminals," Yadav alleged in one of his tweets.

The ruling JD(U), which has been embarrassed by the episode notwithstanding withdrawal of the letter followed by a clarification by the state police chief Gupteshwar Pandey that the communication was "based on inputs received by PHQ from many sources" which had "nothing to do with the government", lashed out at the RJD leader.

The state's minister for Information and Public Relations. Department, Neeraj Kumar, who has been one of the most voluble spokespersons of the party headed by Nitish Kumar, mocked the RJD leader for his use of the term "Shram veer" and called the former Deputy CM a "bhrashtachar veer" (corrupt).