Tejashwi Yadav accuses NDA of misleading women voters in Bihar with false poll promises

Patna, April 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National Working President Tejashwi Yadav on Monday launched a sharp attack on the NDA government in Bihar, accusing it of misleading women voters with false promises during last year's Assembly elections.

In a statement, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly alleged that the ruling alliance attempted to influence voters by crediting Rs 10,000 into the bank accounts of women, including members of self-help groups known as ‘Jeevika Didis’, just before polling.

The statement further claimed that voters were subjected to both inducements and intimidation. He alleged that women were warned about surveillance at polling booths and told that failure to vote for a particular party could result in the money being withdrawn.

According to him, promises were made that beneficiaries would receive a total of Rs 2 lakh in phases after the elections. However, he asserted that even six months after the elections, these promises remain unfulfilled.

He claimed that neither the initial beneficiaries received their dues nor were subsequent instalments disbursed to a larger group of women.

“In the post-election period, neither did the 18 lakh women who were already registered under this scheme receive their first instalment, nor did the 1.81 crore 'Jeevika Didis' and other women receive their second instalment -- despite the explicit promise made during the elections that women would be provided with a total of Rs 200,000 under this scheme,” Tejashwi said.

Raising concerns over the state’s financial condition, the opposition leader alleged that Bihar’s treasury has come under severe strain due to what he described as politically motivated financial decisions taken during the election period.

He further accused the ruling alliance of prioritising electoral gains over governance and long-term economic stability.

“The government was fully aware that, given Bihar's limited resources, borrowing funds to distribute a staggering Rs 41,000 crore in cash across various categories during the final days of the election -- merely to garner votes -- was a suicidal course of action. Yet, those driven by an insatiable lust for power chose to prioritise their own selfish interests over the welfare of the state. The handful of corrupt officials entrenched within various agencies -- along with the spineless politicians who mortgaged Bihari dignity at the feet of two outsiders -- were concerned not with the welfare of ordinary Biharis, but rather with their own present circumstances and the secure future of their children; it was for this reason that they struck a deal involving Bihar,” Tejashwi said.

Source: IANS