Tejashwi slams Shah over dynastic politics remarks

Patna: Days after Union minister Amit Shah criticised RJD chief Lalu Prasad for promoting "dynastic politics," his son and leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, hit back on Tuesday, accusing Shah of selective criticism.
Addressing a press conference, Tejashwi questioned why Shah remained silent about Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose families are deeply entrenched in politics. "Amit Shahji targeted Laluji over ‘parivarvad' but conveniently ignored Chirag and Manjhi, whose almost entire families are in politics," he said.
Tejashwi pointed out that Chirag is a minister, his brother-in-law Arun Bharti is an MP from Jamui, his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras served as a Union minister and his cousin Prince Raj was an MP from Samastipur. Similarly, Manjhi is a Union minister, his son Santosh Kumar Suman is a state minister while his daughter-in-law Deepa Manjhi and his son's mother-in-law Jyoti Devi are MLAs.
Countering allegations against his own family, Tejashwi said, "Laluji's brothers were never ministers in the state govt, nor is any of his daughters currently in the Rajya Sabha. How much longer will you mislead people with false claims?"
He also challenged Shah's statement about constructing a Goddess Sita temple in Sitamarhi. "Shah claimed a temple would be built, unaware that one already exists. When I was in power, funds were sanctioned for its beautification," he added.
Tejashwi questioned the NDA govt's contributions to Bihar over the past 11 years. "During UPA's rule, Bihar received a financial package of Rs 1.94 lakh crore and several railway projects when Lalu was railway minister. What has the NDA govt done in comparison?" he asked. He also criticised Shah's election promises on tackling floods and reviving sugar mills, stating, "What were they doing for the past 20 years? Why do they need another term?"
Citing NCRB data, Tejashwi argued that crime rates in Bihar have soared under the NDA govt. "In 20 years, there have been 3 lakh thefts, 1 lakh kidnappings, 65,000 murders and 25,000 rapes. If this is not ‘jungle raj,' then what is? Bihar now ranks highest in crime, corruption, migration and unemployment while remaining at the bottom in development, according to NITI Aayog reports," he alleged.
Reacting sharply, JD(U) dismissed Tejashwi's claims as misleading. "When NCRB data is available only up to 2022, how can you cite figures beyond that? This is completely false," said JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.