RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has claimed that the populist announcements made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the Bihar elections are a copy of his own ideas and policies.
Bihar Politics: The political atmosphere in Bihar is currently charged with accusations and counter-accusations. A credit war has erupted between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav. The debate now revolves around who conceived the original ideas behind the pre-election announcements. Is Nitish Kumar merely echoing Tejashwi Yadav's schemes to woo the public?
A Flurry of Election Announcements by Nitish Kumar
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has made several major populist decisions with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections. These include a threefold increase in the honorarium for ASHA and Mamata workers, free electricity, increased pensions for the elderly and women, and a promise of one crore jobs for the youth. Nitish Kumar also announced that social security pensions would be increased to ₹1100, and inter-pass youth would receive assistance of ₹4000 to ₹6000 per month during their internships.
Relief for Frontline Health Workers
Nitish Kumar recently stated that ASHA and Mamata workers have made significant contributions to improving health services in rural areas. In light of this, their honorarium has been increased. The honorarium for ASHA workers has been increased from ₹1000 to ₹3000, while Mamata workers will now receive an incentive of ₹600 per delivery. The government says that this decision was pending for a long time and was necessary to strengthen the health infrastructure.
Tejashwi Yadav's Claim: Our Idea Was Stolen
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has directly labeled Nitish Kumar's announcements as "copy-paste" politics. He stated that the process of increasing the incentive amount for ASHA and Mamata workers had already been initiated when he was the Health Minister of Bihar, but the NDA government did not take any action at that time. Now, with elections approaching, the same schemes are being re-packaged and presented. Tejashwi claims that the Nitish government has simply stolen his ideas and is now trying to take credit for implementing them.
Stalemate Regarding Youth and Women
Tejashwi Yadav had already announced, as an election promise, that women would be given ₹1500 every month. Shortly after, Nitish Kumar announced an increase in social pensions. Moreover, the issue of providing employment to the youth has also become a subject of contention between the two leaders. Tejashwi says that he had promised to provide jobs to the youth first, and now Nitish Kumar is following the same line by talking about providing one crore jobs. On this too, Tejashwi is questioning the government's intentions, saying that this is just an election stunt.
Is the Nitish Government Really Engaged in Repackaging?
Tejashwi Yadav alleges that the NDA government is picking up Tejashwi's schemes and presenting them again to the public, so that they can get benefit in the elections. He says that Nitish Kumar's government is tired, and now that the public wants change, they are trying to show themselves in favor of the public by adopting the policies of the opposition. He even said that those who used to make fun of his schemes are now being forced to implement them.
Tejashwi Demanded Approval of More Demands
Tejashwi Yadav said that the time has come that, without being limited to only ASHA and Mamata workers, the government should also increase the honorarium of Anganwadi workers, assistants, and school cooks. He said that if the government is really concerned about public interest, then it should pay attention to the demands of all sections and not just implement the schemes suggested by the opposition only at the time of elections.
