Without his father’s name, Tejashwi will have no identity

Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishor has criticised former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, questioning his political credentials and claiming that he is in this position because of his father Lalu Prasad Yadav. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Kishor said that Tejashwi Yadav lacks independent political identity and credibility. He further asserted that without his father’s name, Tejashwi will have no significant identity. Taking a dig at Tejashwi, he asked, “Tejashwi Yadav is Lalu Yadav’s son. Whatever Tejashwi is, he is because of Lalu Yadav. If Lalu Yadav’s name is not there, then what is his identity for you?” Kishor argued that Tejashwi’s position is only because of his lineage and not because of his achievements or merit. He pointed out that there are many young leaders in the Yadav community who have more potential than Tejashwi. He said, “You said that Tejashwi Yadav is a young leader. There are a lot of young leaders. There are more young leaders in the Yadav community than him. But the foundation on which he is now is not because he has achieved something. He is in this position only because he is Lalu Yadav’s son. Kishor highlighted that RJD supremo Lalu Yadav’s popularity has declined significantly in the last few years. “Lalu Yadav won election on his own only once in 1995. And he won when he was seen as a leader of the poor. After that when he became a leader of the backward classes, his number of MPs decreased to 20-25. When he became a leader of the Yadavs, it decreased to 10-12. Now that he is the leader of RJD Yadavs, the number has come down to 2-4-5,” Kishor told ANI. Kishor, who has been continuously traversing the interiors of Bihar as part of his ambitious yatra, challenged Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and questioned his commitment towards Bihar and accused him of making superficial gestures instead of genuine political engagement.