Giriraj Singh: Tejashwi shrinking in shadow of Rahul

Patna: In the wake of the Congress’s two-day meeting with its Bihar leaders in New Delhi, Union minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday took a swipe at the RJD, saying its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is “shrinking in the shadow of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi”.Krishna Allavaru, in charge of Congress in Bihar, once again skipped the question on making RJD leader Tejashwi as the INDIA bloc CM face, reiterating that the people of the state will decide it. Earlier, during Voter Adhikar Yatra, Congress MP Rahul had also avoided the question on the CM face.Singh said the Congress has hijacked the opposition alliance and marginalised Yadav, causing tension in the RJD camp. “The conflict in the Mahagathbandhan has once again come to the fore.

The Congress has clearly indicated that it is going to play a decisive role in the state now, and wants at least 70 seats in its share. The Congress will also select these seats itself and will take only the ‘winnable’ ones. The Mahagathbandhan is actually a train whose every coach is trying to become the engine,” he alleged, adding the Congress now wants to keep the key to power in its hands by staying in this alliance.

It intends to form a remote-controlled govt in Bihar, he alleged.

He said that the internal conflict of the Indi alliance was also seen during the recently concluded vice-presidential election. While the NDA appeared united, 14 of the INDIA bloc MPs voted against its candidate on Tuesday.Again taking a dig at Tejashwi, the minister said Tej Pratap Yadav is openly challenging his brother by distributing relief material in the latter’s constituency Raghopur, and criticising him for being absent.However, RJD spokesman Mritunjay Tiwary said Tejashwi is people’s hero, and the obvious CM face of the Mahagathbandhan. The RJD is always the big brother in Bihar politics, he said.Congress media cell chairman Rajesh Rathod said people are now irritated by Singh’s divisive statements. “He should first tell the people why not even a single textile park could be set up in Bihar during his 11 years as the Union minister,” he said.