"Made him CM twice, saved his party": Tejashwi Yadav fires back at Nitish Kumar, accusing him of distorting facts

Patna (Bihar) [India], March 5 (ANI): Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday fired back at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of distorting facts after Bihar CM claimed that he played a key role in making Lalu Prasad Yadav the Chief Minister in 1990.
Tejashwi Yadav claimed that he was instrumental in making Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister twice and saving his party.
Tejashwi Yadav countered that his father, Lalu Yadav, had already been elected as an MLA twice and an MP before Nitish Kumar's rise to power. He also reminded Nitish Kumar that Lalu Yadav had played a significant role in making several Prime Ministers.
"Yesterday, Nitish Kumar said in the Assembly that he made Lalu Yadav the Chief Minister. Forget about what Nitish Kumar says...But Nitish Kumar should remember that even before him, my father had already been elected as an MLA twice and once as an MP. Forget about Lalu Yadav, Lalu Ji has made many Prime Ministers. It was me who made him (Nitish Kumar) CM twice and saved his party...," said Tejashwi.
Lalu Prasad Yadav first became an MLA in 1980 when he was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Sonepur constituency as a candidate of the Janata Party. While Nitish Kumar got elected as an MLA in 1985.
The RJD leader also took a jibe at Nitish Kumar, describing him as a "tired Chief Minister" surrounded by retired officers. "There is a tired Chief Minister with retired officers in the state," he said.
He also questioned his narrative of Bihar's history before 2005. Tejashwi called Kumar "creator of the Universe" and said "the world came into existence only after 2005".
"Yesterday, Nitish Kumar said in the Assembly that he made Lalu Yadav the Chief Minister. Forget about what Nitish Kumar says...he is the creator of the Universe, and the world came into existence only after 2005," he said while speaking to reporters in Patna.
Addressing a rally in Patna, he said, "Now we don't want an inefficient government. The retirement age is 60 years. Do you want a 75-year-old chief minister?... Now the time has come; we have to take Bihar forward with a new vehicle, not with 'khatara gaadi'..."
Yesterday, during his speech in the Bihar Assembly, Nitish Kumar asserted that he played a "key role" in shaping the political career of Tejashwi's father, former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav.
"Even the people of Lalu Yadav's caste (Yadav) had refused to make him CM, but I supported him. I made your father (Lalu Yadav) CM," Nitish Kumar said while addressing Tejashwi Yadav via Speaker on Tuesday.
He asserted that he played a crucial role in making Lalu Yadav the Chief Minister in 1990, amidst a tussle between Lalu and Ram Sundar Das for the top spot.
Nitish Kumar also criticised RJD's rule before 2005.
"No one used to leave their houses after evening during the RJD tenure. There were no roads, no development and frequent Hindu-Muslim fights. When I came to power in 2005, the first thing I did as CM was to fence graveyards to maintain peace," Kumar said.
This verbal spat highlights the escalating tensions between the RJD and JD(U) in Bihar, with the state heading into assembly elections later this year. (ANI)