‘If Tejashwi has the courage, contest alone’: Chirag Paswan dares RJD to boycott Bihar polls

PATNA: Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Saturday dared RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to boycott the coming assembly elections in Bihar due this year.Tejashwi has said the opposition will weigh the option of boycotting polls over the alleged discrepancies in the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).Chirag, who reached Patna on way to Gaya to address the Nav Sankalp Mahasabha, also challenged the RJD to contest the elections alone in Bihar. “If Tejashwi has the courage, he must do it. RJD had been in power for 15 years, yet they did not have the courage to contest elections alone in Bihar. How can they who could not fight the elections alone boycott the polls?” he asked.The Union minister for food processing also attacked the opposition and said RJD also has an alliance with Congress which is the oldest party in the country.

“But Congress also does not have the courage to contest elections alone,” he said and added that Chirag Paswan had the courage to contest the elections alone in 2020.“That, too, when my leader (Ram Vilas Paswan) passed away when the nomination for the first phase was going on,” Chirag further said and asked how those who cannot fight the election alone would boycott it.He said the opposition has the habit of intimidating people to get votes. “Even during the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition said if the Modi govt comes back, reservation will end. Democracy will be finished. The Constitution will be amended. Today it has been one year since the govt came to power. Whose reservation was taken away. Where was democracy and the Constitution finished,” Chirag asked and said the opposition always tries to create confusion.