Tejashwi refuses to quit, says ruling Grand Alliance intact
BIHAR’S DEFIANT NUMBER 2 ACCUSES BJP OF BEING BEHIND CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION
R ashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav yesterday said the state’s ruling Grand Alliance is intact and will remain so, after attending his first cabinet meeting since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids against him.
Tejashwi, the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, said: “The allegations against me are false. This is a conspiracy by the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party].” He was addressing media after attending a Bihar cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here. With this statement, Tejashwi has made it clear that he will not resign.
Tejashwi also said he strongly believes in zero tolerance for corruption. He said he will go to the people to explain how and why the BJP, led by Shah and Narendra Modi, has conspired against him.
“This allegation is of 2004 when I was merely 14 years old, and my moustache and beard had not begun to sprout on my face. Do you think a minor like me would have committed a scam?”
Tejashwi said: “Some people, including a section of media, are disappointed over no reports of a break up in the alliance.”
‘No graft allegations’
The ruling Grand Alliance, comprising Janata Dal (United), RJD and Congress, is headed by Kumar. Tejashwi said that since he became deputy chief minister there have been no corruption allegations against him.
“Earlier, the BJP was afraid of Laluji but now they are afraid of me, a 28-year-old man,” he said.
His statement to the media came a day after the JD-U, headed by Kumar, pressured Tejashwi to step down. The JDU’s major ally, RJD, which has 80 legislators, is adamant that Tejashwi will not resign.
“After JD-U’s stand, the RJD has decided that Tejashwi will not resign,” RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav said yesterday. However, JD-U spokesperson Ajay Alok said: After a first information report is filed, one has to reply to the court and the public. Running the Mahagathbandhan [grand alliance] is the responsibility of everyone).
Emergency meeting
According to RJD sources, after Lalu Prasad Yadav returned from Ranchi on Tuesday, an emergency meeting of senior party leaders, including ministers and legislators, was held late in the night at his official residence, 10, Circular Road, where it was decided that Tejashwi would not resign. “In view of the JD-U’s stand, we have decided that Tejashwi will not step down,” another RJD leader said.
On Tuesday, the JD-U made it clear that it will not compromise with corruption and crime
Kumar said his government will do its own work and the law will do its own.