Tejashwi Yadav has no merit; he is desperate to become Bihar CM: alleges Independent MP Pappu Yadav

Independent MP from Purnea constituency Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav on Friday slammed Opposition mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) alliance partner in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal and its leader Tejashwi Yadav alleging Tejashwi Yadav has “no merit and he has become desperate to become chief minister of Bihar”.

The Purnea MP also urged Congress party to chart its own separate way in Bihar beyond alliance with RJD. State Congress president Rajesh Ram along with senior party leader from Bihar Kishore Kumar Jha too echoed the same.

“RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has no merit and has become desperate to be the chief minister of Bihar. RJD and Tejashwi Yadav have become B-team of BJP…Today it is not possible for Tejashwi Yadav to speak to the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi”, alleged Mr Pappu while speaking to media persons in Patna.

Mr Pappu has been six-time MP, four-time from Purnea constituency of Seemanchal (border) area (1991, 1996, 1999 and 2024) while, twice from Yadav caste dominated Madhepura constituency (2004 and 2014) representing several political parties like Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party as well. However, the last parliamentary poll in 2024 he won from Purnea constituency defeating JD(U )candidate Santosh Kushwaha by a margin of over 23,000 votes as an Independent candidate.

When asked about how both the opposition allies contesting the upcoming State legislative council elections separately, Mr Yadav said, “Congress is a national party and you [Tejashwi Yadav] cannot throw eyes at the party…you cannot show capacity to the Congress party…you do not show respect either to the Congress in-charge of the State or, the State Congress president…who are you [to display such acts]?”. Both the RJD and Congress party have put up candidates separately in the upcoming State legislative council poll, scheduled to be held on eight seats on October 23.

Mr Pappu further said that “earlier RJD chief Lalu Prasad used to speak to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi but, today it’s not possible…Lalu ji has immense respect for Sonia Gandhi ji but, today RJD is not in capacity to speak to the Congress leader”, he said asserting that “if asked, I would say that Congress party should chart out its own chart beyond RJD…Congress party should be in role of an elder brother.” Senior Congress party leader and former party MP from Supaul constituency Ranjit Ranjan is wife of Pappu Yadav.

Earlier, on May 7, 2015 RJD had expelled Mr Pappu from the party due to his “anti-party activities” following which he had formed his own Jan Adhikar Party-Loktantrik (JAP-Democratic). Later, apparently to make any political difference, he merged his party with the Congress party in March 2024, though the State Congress leaders are yet to make any comment over the merger.

Mr Pappu has several pending cases against him. In 2008 he was even convicted of murder of Left leader of Purnea, Ajit Sarkar and sentenced to life imprisonment but, came out of Patna’s central Beur jail in May 2013 when a division bench of the Patna High Court set aside the lower court conviction. Mr Sarkar was gunned down in Purnea in 1998.

However, Mr Pappu had also become one of the best performing MPs from Bihar in 2015 for his attendance and participation in debates.

Days earlier, Mr Pappu had visited flood victims of Saran district of Bihar at night on boat and asked why the embankments and levees are being broken during Bihar flood at the same place during flood time every year .

He alleged a nexus between Minister, officers and contractors and demanded State Water Resources Department Minister-cum-Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary’s resignation.

Meanwhile, State Congress president Rajesh Ram and senior Bihar leader of the party and former All Indian Congress Committee (AICC) member Kishore Kumar Jha too echoed the same and demanded top party leadership should “snap ties with the RJD as soon as possible to make its own separate political course in Bihar”.

Mr Jha, party leader from Madhubani, has been demanding the same for long. However, Mr Ram made this demand after RJD announced its candidate on six of total eight State legislative council seat elections for which results are scheduled to be announced on October 27.