Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, launched a sharp attack on the Bihar government over a full-page advertisement published by the state featuring newly sworn Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary alongside outgoing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Taking to X, Tejashwi shared an image of the front page of a Hindi daily that carried the advertisement. The ad, featuring Nitish Kumar, now a Rajya Sabha MP, was published in newspapers by the Bihar government's Information and Public Relations Department.
Slamming the move, the RJD leader wrote, "This is the same Bihar, which is the poorest state in the country where the average debt per person is ₹27,000. The same Bihar, where around 5 lakh government employees have not yet received their salaries. But under the reign of the ‘selected CM’, a full-page advertisement costing lakhs of rupees was published to polish political image."
Dubbing the act a "misuse of taxpayers' money," he questioned the Bihar government's authority to print the photograph of a Rajya Sabha MP. "On what authority can the Bihar government print the photo of a Rajya Sabha MP? Has this ever happened before? No, so isn't this a violation of the court's order?" he wrote.
Notably, Samrat Chaudhary took charge as Bihar Chief Minister a day after Nitish Kumar relinquished the post following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
The advertisement featured photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, and Rajya Sabha MP Nitish Kumar, along with a message stating that under their guidance, the Bihar government would fulfill people's aspirations and lead the state toward progress, prosperity, and self-reliance.
