Patna: Soon after Samrat Choudhary assumed office as Bihar’s new chief minister (CM), Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday extended his wishes while taking a sharp political swipe, describing him as a “selected CM” who had succeeded in unseating the “elected CM” Nitish Kumar.In a message shared on social media platforms and the official WhatsApp group of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Tejashwi said he hoped the new chief minister would remain mindful of the “bitter, unpleasant and harsh fact” that Bihar continues to trail on several development indicators even after 21 years of NDA rule in the state.
The former deputy CM said Bihar remains below the national average on most parameters of the NITI Aayog, citing gaps in quality education, healthcare services, law and order, income and investment levels, expenditure and consumption patterns, employment generation, poverty alleviation and migration. He also flagged concerns over inclusive growth and broader human development indicators.Despite the criticism, Tejashwi said he wished Samrat Choudhary success and hoped he would work with commitment and sincerity for Bihar’s progress, happiness, prosperity, peace, harmony, security and overall development. However, in a veiled attack at the BJP-led NDA, he said the new CM must not ‘compromise Bihar’s pride at the behest of outsiders.Ending his message on a pointed note, Tejashwi referred to Choudhary as a “socialist leader” and wrote, “Once again, heartfelt best wishes to the socialist Shri Samrat Choudhary ji on his emergence.”Tejashwi had made similar remarks a day earlier after Choudhary was chosen as the NDA legislature party leader, a move that cleared his path to the CM’s post. At the time, he had described the new CM as a product of “Lalu’s school”.The remark was seen as a reference to Choudhary’s early political career, which began in the RJD. He had entered the Bihar assembly for the first time on an RJD ticket and also served as a cabinet minister in his early years.
