Tejashwi slams government, Nitish calls him child; Jan Suraaj Party moves SC over cash inducement to women voters in Bihar poll

In the ongoing budget session of the Bihar Assembly, Leader of Opposition in the House Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday (February 5, 2026) while speaking on the motion of thanks to Governor’s address, slammed the NDA government in Bihar on several issues

He accused the State Government of rigging in State Assembly elections through allurement of money to woo women voters, deteriorating law and order situation and questioning on development of the State while, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar repeatedly asked Mr. Yadav to sit-down as he was a bachha (child). Both the leaders eventually engaged in a verbal duel.

The newly formed Jan Suraaj Party moved to the Supreme Court on the day alleging cash inducements in recently held Bihar Assembly elections. The Budget session of Bihar legislature commenced on February 2 with the Governor Arif Mohammed Khan addressing the joint session of the legislature. The current session will end on February 27.

While slamming the NDA government in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav charged that it was running on “false praise and complete negligence”. “Had Bihar been a separate country, it would have been the poorest in the world”, alleged Mr. Yadav while questioning the government on development front.

“If Bihar is developing so much, would you tell me just one segment where Bihar is ahead of other states …anyone. The per capita income in Bihar is at lowest, and the State is still the poorest State of the country”, he alleged. “Bihar’s development remains stagnant comparable to 1961”, added Mr. Yadav while citing principles over power he asserted that he refused to “become a ruler of the State on the terms of the BJP”.

While reading out the recent statistics of crime and criminal incidents across the State, Mr. Yadav further charged, “the BJP has turned democracy into gun-o-cracy”. “The police station is silent, the administration is unconscious and the government is intoxicated”, blamed Mr. Yadav while making reference of the alleged sexual assault and murder of a medical aspirant living in a hostel in Patna and the incident has triggered a widespread outrage in the State, following which it was later, handed over to the investigating agency, CBI.

While making reference on the cash inducement to woo voters to win the recently held State Assembly elections, Mr. Yadav further alleged that the “ruling NDA had spent ₹ 40,000 crore to defeat the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in the 2025 Assembly elections”. He also made veiled references to a series of sops offered by the NDA government in the run up to the Assembly poll and charged, “the people of the State were defeated in the polls which were won by the power machinery (Lok Hara, Tantra jita). You people have reduced loktantra (democracy) into a rule of dar tantra (fear and intimidation.)”. “The time may be on your side today but our time too will also come”, asserted Mr. Yadav who, later, sought permission from the Speaker to sit down and speak because of pain in his leg injury. Mr. Yadav was declared as the Chief Ministerial face of the Opposition mahagathbandhan.

Mr. Yadav alleged further that the ruling NDA government in Bihar has done “little in its 20 years of power”. He also criticized the budget presented by the NDA government in State legislature on February 3 and described it a s a “mere repetition of promises made by the previous grand alliance government”. “Some ponds have started consider themselves oceans; we’ll make them realize their limits at the right time”, Mr. Yadav stated a couplet in Hindi.

He also urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to demand special status for Bihar and hit the streets to address State’s issue and get the “support from Opposition”.

With Chief minister Nitish Kumar and Mr. Yadav interjecting time and again, both the leaders eventually were engaged in sharp verbal duel. “You please sit down. You’re a bachha (child). Now you too have a child. I’m from your father’s time. I have a fondness for you. Sit down, sit down and listen to me”, said Nitish Kumar repeatedly and Mr. Yadav sat down flashing a broad smile on his face.

Later, Mr. Kumar attacked Mr. Yadav and his party Rashtriya Janata Dal for doing “something fishy” during previous grand alliance government. “You’re involved in something fishy and wrongdoing and that is why we left you”. Mr. Kumar said while asking “what was the situation before 2005 (Mr. Kumar took over the NDA government as Chief Minister in November 2005)?” and listed development works done during his government’s regime in health, agriculture, electricity, education, road construction, women’s social and economic empowerment, industry and other segments.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Jan Suraaj Party founded by former poll-strategist Prashant Kishor too moved to the Supreme Court on Thursday (February 5) alleging cash inducement to women voters during State Assembly elections held in November 2025. The JSP called it “misuse of a state welfare scheme to influence voters ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections”. The party was referring to scheme Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna launched by the ruling NDA government in the State under which ₹ 10,000 was directly transferred to one woman in every family with a further promise of ₹ 2 lakh after assessment for their “self-employment”.

Mr. Kishor’s party JSP, though, had failed to win even a single seat in the Assembly poll while losing security deposits in 99% of the seats it contested.