Patna (Bihar) [India], June 20 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav accused the state administration of forcibly mobilizing crowd to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Siwan and questioned the popularity PM Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that both are not 'mass leaders' like his (Tejashwi) father, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.
"The administration was deployed to gather the crowd. The people have been brought forcefully... Did this used to happen before 2005, when the only job officials had was to gather crowds? PM Modi or CM Nitish Kumar are not mass leaders. Lakhs of people will gather if Lalu Ji simply stands on the road. People used to gather for the previous leaders just through word of mouth," he said.
Accusing the BJP of misusing public funds, the former Deputy Chief Minister alleged, they (BJP) have been spending the Bihar government's money for so many days, still there is no crowd, hence, the officials were deployed for it. This is the truth..."
However, responding to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's sharp criticism Bihar Minister Ashok Choudhary launched a counterattack, defending the government's conduct.
In a swift rebuttal, Ashok Choudhary questioned the credibility of Tejashwi's claims saying, "Is it Lalu Prasad Yadav's regime that the professors are not getting salaries? Has any government employee claimed that they are not getting their salaries? Tejashwi Yadav should reveal who is providing him with such information... In the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Tejashwi Yadav will face a defeat greater than that experienced by Lalu Prasad Yadav..."
Meanwhile, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who was also present at rally backed PM's visit to the state and said, "The Prime Minister is concerned about how Bihar should progress, and that is why he came here. This has nothing to do with elections. This is a continuous process in which he (PM Modi) wants to take Bihar forward..."
PM Modi on Friday flagged off a state-of-the-art locomotive built at the Marhowra Plant, for export to the Republic of Guinea, under the 'Make in India' initiative.
The plant became the first export locomotive manufactured in this factory. They are equipped with high-horsepower engines, advanced AC propulsion systems, microprocessor-based control systems, and ergonomic cab designs, incorporating technologies like regenerative braking.
PM also flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Patliputra and Gorakhpur via Muzaffarpur and Bettiah.