Ground Report: Tejashwi Yadav concludes 5-day, solo Bihar yatra with message of ‘badlav’

As Tejashwi’s bus arrives, the excitement in the crowd reaches fever pitch and cheers of “Tejashwi Yadav zindabad” ring out as the RJD leader, wearing a pink T-shirt, emerges atop the bus. He is immediately showered with marigold petals by the supporters atop the cranes.

The RJD leader, wearing a pink T-shirt, emerges atop the bus. (Express Photo by Rahul Sharma)

A supporter takes up a mic and asks the orchestra to stop the music. “Ab netaji bolenge (Now, our leader will address you),” he says and hands over the mic to Tejashwi.

“Aap sabko badlav chahiye na? (Don’t you want a change of government?),” asks Tejashwi, and the crowd replies in unison, “Yes.”

“This is a copycat government (of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar). They have been copying schemes and initiatives announced by us. We had announced that we would raise the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 per month. We said we would give 200 MW free electricity, then the Bihar government started giving 125 MW free electricity. We talked about giving Rs 2,500 to a woman in every family, and the government announced Rs 10,000 financial assistance to (50 lakh) women entrepreneurs,” the RJD leader says, rattling off figures and schemes while making his case to the crowd.

Tejashwi signs off with the “vote chor, gaddi chhod (vote thief, give up your throne)” slogan that he and Rahul popularised during their two-week yatra last month before his bus takes off, the crowd running beside it, for the next venue.

By the time Tejashwi reaches Tajpur in Morwa, crowds have already gathered on either side of the road to welcome him. Here too, RJD supporters have mounted three cranes armed with party flags and a band plays music. A brief stop later, the RJD leader sets off for Patepur.

RJD supporters gathered in the Sarairanjan Assembly constituency on Saturday. (Express photo by Rahul Sharma)

The crowd in Tajpur begins to disperse after Tejashwi departs, but some stay back to listen to the band and dance to its music. Nageshwar Rai, 88, holds an RJD flag as he sings along to a song on how Morwa, situated along the Ganga, was blessed by Lalu Prasad. “Some 20 of us have come from Morwa. We want Tejashwi to become the CM,” he says. Some farmers in the crowd complained about not getting subsidised fertilisers. “What kind of government is this? We have to buy a packet of urea. Tejashwi did well during his 17-month tenure as Deputy CM,” says local Babban Rawat, 62, as others nod along and agree with him.

In Patepur, Tejashwi is welcomed with flower petals and garlands. He reiterates the need for a change in the government, and how the RJD has a better vision for Bihar. It is already 5.30 pm but the RJD leader has one more stop in Mahua, from where his elder brother and RJD rebel Tej Pratap Yadav will contest the Assembly elections as a candidate of his newly founded Janshakti Janata Dal. Surprisingly, the yatra did not pass through his own Assembly seat of Raghopur in Vaishali.

Tejashwi Yadav being welcomed with flower petals and garlands. (Express Photo by Rahul Sharma)

Over the course of the yatra, which began in Patna on September 16, Tejashwi covered 11 districts, including Begusarai, Khagaria, Saharsa, and Madhepura, none of which were covered during the “Voter Adhikar Yatra”.

Though Tejashwi was a key face of that political move against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, it was essentially seen as Gandhi’s yatra. Through this five-day dash through key districts and constituencies, the RJD leader sought to reiterate his primacy in the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance, besides capitalising on the momentum generated by last month’s yatra.

Tejashwi’s yatra also came against the backdrop of seeming tensions between the RJD and the Congress. In the face of the Congress’s stiff stance on seat-sharing and reluctance to project anyone as the Mahagathbandhan’s CM face, Tejashwi, seen as the most likely CM probable from the Opposition ranks, has put the pressure back on his alliance partner by saying he will be the one contesting all 243 seats in the state.

At an event in Kanti in Muzaffarpur district last week, Tejashwi said, “And this time, Tejashwi will contest all 243 seats, whether it is Muzaffarpur, Kanti, or Bochahan.” This came days after the Congress, on the back of the perceived success of Rahul Gandhi’s yatra, was learnt to be pressing for at least 70 constituencies, the number of seats it had contested last time. However, back then, it had cost the Opposition as the Congress’s poor strike rate – it won 19 seats – likely prevented it from forming the government even though the RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats (out of the 144 it contested).