RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday announced that the opposition will work towards projecting Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister in the next Lok Sabha elections, signalling that the Congress MP will be the face of the INDIA bloc.
“Next time, we will make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister,” Tejashwi said, standing alongside the Leader of the Opposition, during the ‘Voter Adhikar’ rally in Bihar’s Nawada.
Leadership Debate Within the INDIA Bloc
The leadership question has long been a contentious issue for the INDIA bloc. The opposition alliance contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without projecting any leader amid internal differences. Before the polls, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal had extended support to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential prime ministerial face.
During his address, Tejashwi Yadav accused the Election Commission and the BJP of working in partnership to “steal votes” in Bihar.
“The BJP wants to snatch away the right to vote… We are Biharis. One Bihari outweighs all. We treat elections like khaini (chewing tobacco) – we rub it and throw it away,” the former Bihar deputy chief minister said.
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His remarks come against the backdrop of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in the state. According to the draft rolls published by the Election Commission of India, over 65 lakh voters have been dropped.
“The SIR is a dacoity of votes, and we will not allow that to happen. It’s a conspiracy of the ruling dispensation to disenfranchise voters in Bihar,” Tejashwi alleged.
He also urged Bihar’s youth to end the tenure of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.
“The Nitish Kumar-led government has become khattara (rickety) and it needs to be urgently replaced. The young should now get a chance. The youth have resolved that they will remove from power this old and rickety government,” he added.
