Sanjay Saraogi attacks Tejashwi Yadav over Raj Bhavan march; defends NDA unity

Patna, Aug 13 (IANS) Bihar BJP President, Sanjay Saraogi, on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, over his announcement of an August 19 Raj Bhavan March concerning the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak.

Saraogi accused Tejashwi of attempting to gain political mileage from the students’ protest issue and questioned his commitment to the protesters.

Saraogi claimed that when a major student movement was taking place in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav was in Europe.

He alleged that Tejashwi had no genuine concern for students and described the proposed Raj Bhavan March as a political exercise.

Referring to the recent Bankipur bye-election, Saraogi said the electorate had already given its verdict on Tejashwi’s politics, pointing out that the RJD candidate had allegedly lost the security deposit.

He argued that the announcement of a march in the name of students was, therefore, merely a political stunt.

The BJP state president also expressed grief over the killing of construction contractor Ramnaresh Rai in Hajipur.

Calling the incident extremely serious, Saraogi said the perpetrators must not be spared and expressed confidence that the police would arrest the accused within 48 hours.

The killing has created concern in the area, with residents awaiting further police action and progress in the investigation.

Responding to the Congress’ allegations that a meeting of BJP ministers at the Chief Minister’s residence indicated trouble within the NDA, Saraogi dismissed the claim.

He said meetings between the Chief Minister and ministers are part of the normal functioning of the government and are held regularly to discuss administrative and day-to-day matters.

According to him, there was no reason to attach political significance to the meeting.

Taking a swipe at the Congress, Saraogi said the party should first examine the condition of its own alliance before questioning the unity of the NDA.

He sarcastically remarked that those who cannot even sit together properly in a single vehicle should not comment on the cohesion of the NDA.

On questions about whether the BJP was concerned about Nitish Kumar’s meeting with JD(U) MPs in Delhi, Saraogi said there was nothing unusual about it.

He pointed out that Nitish Kumar is the National President of the JD(U), making meetings with the party’s MPs a normal political activity.

Saraogi said the meeting should not be interpreted as evidence of any political disagreement within the NDA.

Saraogi also criticised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his comments regarding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s absence from the House during the controversy surrounding the protests over the NEET paper leaks and the Delhi Police action against the students.

In a strongly worded attack, Saraogi called LoP Gandhi the poster boy of anarchy and alleged that he had been disrupting parliamentary proceedings for the past 17–18 days.

He argued that the Opposition should raise such matters constructively inside Parliament rather than use them for political purposes.

–IANS

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