Tejashwi Yadav alleges ₹20,000 cr public money spent on PM Modi’s rallies in Bihar, calls him ‘pickpocket’

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies in Bihar since 2014 have cost the public exchequer ₹20,000 crore. He alleged that each rally costs around ₹100 crore and that around 200 such rallies have been held over the years. Yadav made the statement while continuing his recent "pickpocket" jibe aimed at the Prime Minister.

“Yesterday, some people felt bad that I called the Prime Minister a pocket maar (pickpocket). The person who picks people’s pockets is called a pickpocket, not a helper,” Yadav said. “The PM has been coming to Bihar continuously for the last five elections and ₹100 crore are spent on one of his rallies. According to that, he has done 200 rallies in Bihar – so more than ₹20,000 crore have been spent in the last five elections so far,” he added.

The BJP responded with posters across Patna mocking the RJD leader. The posters carried the slogan “Mera baap chaara chor, mujhe vote do” and depicted caricatures of Tejashwi Yadav and his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, riding a buffalo, referring to the fodder scam for which Lalu was convicted. The BJP has not officially claimed responsibility for the posters.

Tejashwi Yadav also criticised the Bihar government over its pension scheme revision. Hours after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an increase in monthly pensions from ₹400 to ₹1,100, Yadav said the decision copied his earlier proposal. “I announced a few months ago that if we form the government, we will increase the pension from ₹400 to ₹1,500, which has been announced today,” he said. He further questioned the funding source, saying, “The pension amount which has been increased today has not been provided in the budget. Where will the money come from?”

He also attacked state BJP leaders, alleging that Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha only focus on criticising him and Lalu Prasad. “Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha have nothing to do except abuse Lalu Yadav and me. One is loud mouth and the other is foul mouth,” he said. Referring to the BJP-led NDA, he added, “The pension has been increased today in the tension that the Mahagathbandhan government may come into power.”