Patna: After a period of protracted hesitation and negotiations, Congress on Thursday finally made it official - RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav would be the chief minister face of the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Bihar assembly election.
Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief and former minister Mukesh Sahani was declared the alliance’s deputy chief minister face. Sahani had been insisting on the post of deputy chief minister from the beginning and was even ready to forgo some seats if he was promised the post.
At a press conference in Patna, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that more deputy chief ministers could be appointed after the polls.
In a show of solidarity, Gehlot along with other top INDIA bloc leaders including Tejashwi, Sahani and CPI (ML)`s Dipankar Bhattacharya, state Congress president Rajesh Ram addressed the press meet. Former Rajasthan chief minister made these announcements days before the state polls, removing a major friction point between two major allies of the opposition alliance. Congress state in-charge Krishna Allavaru was also present.
Gehlot said, “Tejashwi is a young and dynamic leader. We believe he will fulfill our expectations. We are also declaring Mukesh Sahani, an EBC leader, who has risen to this position through his own efforts, as the deputy CM face of the alliance. Sahani is a messiah of his (Mallah) community. After we win the elections, some people from other sections of society could also be made Deputy CMs.”
Tejashwi thanked his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi and all top alliance leaders, particularly Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, for reposing faith in him. “I alone will not become CM but everyone from Bihar will become ‘Change Makers’ (CMs),” he remarked.
“We, the people of Mahagathbandhan, do not just want to form the government or become the CM, but we want to make Bihar, that is why we are together… I thank all the members of the grand alliance for showing trust in me,” he said.
He said that if the Mahagathbandhan government is formed under his leadership, he will do the development works in just 20 months that NDA could not do in 20 years. “
Taking a dig at the NDA for not announcing its chief ministerial candidate, he asked, “Why was the NDA not declaring Nitish the CM face. We have been saying from the beginning that BJP will not make Nitish ji the CM in Bihar. Ami Shah Ji has also clearly said it multiple times. Shah has said that the elected MLAs will take a decision on this… You (the BJP) have always declared a CM face. We ask why this is not being done.”
While attacking Shah, Gehlot said, “Where is your (the NDA’s) CM candidate? Your contention that Nitish Kumar will lead the NDA in the elections has no meaning. The then CM Eknath Shinde had led the NDA alliance in the Maharashtra elections, but someone else (BJP leader) became the CM later.”
