Why did Jharkhand BJP leader courier pen to Tejashwi Yadav?
Newly sworn Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav may soon get a pen in his post. A 'special' gift by the Jharkhand wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the pen is supposed to remind Yadav of his promise to sign 10 lakh government job offers in Bihar. The saffron party also lashed out at the unemployment in Jharkhand on Thursday.
Why does this story matter?
Coalition partners in Bihar since 2017, the Janata Dal (United) and BJP had been at loggerheads over a variety of issues. Kumar skipped several meetings with BJP recently and finally broke off the alliance to return to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other parties on Tuesday. To recall, Kumar abandoned the RJD and the "Mahagathbandhan" government to join hands with BJP in 2017.
'Want Yadav to sign 10 lakh job letters'
Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo posted the pen from Ranchi on Thursday. He said that the pen should remind Yadav of his poll promise in 2020 to deliver "10 lakh employment letters" if he comes to power. "Now that his lust for power has been fulfilled...we have dispatched him a nice pen, so that he cannot [say]...that he forgot his pen," Deo said.
BJP lashes out at CM Soren
The party also lashed out at Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, whose Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) shares power with the Indian National Congress (INC) and RJD. Deo alleged that Soren has failed to prove jobs for the youth. "Soren had promised five lakh jobs per year, but youth is begging on the street for jobs," he told The Times of India.
What did BJP say?
In a video, Deo said that he hopes Yadav won't 'flip-flop' like his chacha (Nitish Kumar). The BJP reminded Yadav that his 'big brother' Soren's promise of jobs had not come true. "We hope that the youth in Bihar does not face such a fate now," Deo added. The development comes only a few days after JD(U) broke off its alliance with BJP.
'Hope you won't flip-flop like Nitish'
This is a slap on BJP's face, says Yadav
A day after taking oath as the Deputy-CM for the second time, Yadav alleged that the BJP is "vindictive" towards the opposition. "The slap the people of Bihar have given the BJP and the bold decision taken by Kumar has left them worried," he told NDTV. He further added that the duo may have exchanged allegations but "belong to one family."
Kumar, Yadav to lead 'Mahagathbandhan 2.0' government
Kumar & Yadav took oath as the new chief minister and deputy chief minister of Bihar, respectively, on Wednesday. Together, the duo will be heading the 'Mahagathbandhan 2.0' government: an alliance between bigwigs JD(U) and RJD, with five other parties. Together, the alliance has over 164 MLAs in the Bihar Assembly, while the BJP has 77.
