Nitish Kumar's decision to form Mahagathbandhan govt 'slap on BJP's face: Tejashwi Yadav
New Delhi, Aug 12: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to form the Mahagathbandhan government was a "slap on the BJP's face" and a similar coming together of Opposition parties will be replicated across the country, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said on Friday after meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, who met Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence here, accused the BJP of working to finish regional parties and asserted that if they are finished, the Opposition and democracy will be finished as well.
Yadav, who also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja, said the pre-poll constituents of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) have welcomed the decision by Nitish Kumar.
"This government will run strongly because this government is a government for the poor...it is the government of the people. The decision by Nitish Kumar at the right time, you can say, is a slap on the BJP's face," he told reporters outside 10 Janpath.
Yadav said all parties have joined hands against the BJP in the Bihar Assembly, and added "now this is going to be replicated across the whole country".
"People are suffering due to inflation. There are those who want to rule by creating Hindu-Muslim tensions, put the Constitution and democracy in danger, they want to break the brotherhood, Bihar has once again given a new direction to the country," he said.
"For that we thank the chief minister, Sonia Gandhi ji, Yechury ji, Dipankar ji(Bhattacharya, CPI-ML general secretary), Raja ji and Lalu (Prasad) ji," he said.
Yadav said Lalu Prasad fought against communal forces and social justice.
"He (Lalu) never got scared nor did he bow before such forces," Yadav added.
He accused the BJP of destroying regional parties, citing the happenings in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
"BJP wants to scare those who get scared and buy those who are willing to be bought out," Yadav alleged.
"Constitutional institutions are being destroyed. Be it Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation or Income Tax (Department), their condition is worse than police stations. Who do they want to scare? We, the people of Bihar, are not going to be scared. I have said 'Bihari bikaau nahi, tikaau hota hai' (People of Bihar cannot be bought out, they are reliable)," he said.
They will never compromise with their self-respect, Yadav said, adding Bihar and Nitish Kumar have shown this.
Alleging that the BJP wants to destroy regional parties, he said regional parties are mostly of backwards and Dalits and the BJP wants to finish such parties.
"You wanted to finish Nitish Kumar, you created division in Ram Vilas Paswan ji's party. If regional parties are finished, Opposition will be finished, democracy will be finished. If democracy is finished, the country will be run in a dictatorial manner," he said.
Yadav's visit to Delhi, the first to the national capital after taking the oath of office, also holds significance as Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad is here and the finalisation of names of ministers is set to be high on the agenda during discussions between the two.
The cabinet, which at present comprises only Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Yadav as his deputy, is due for expansion early next week.
Earlier, he met Yechury and Raja here and is learnt to have discussed the developments in Bihar as well as the way forward.
After the meeting, Yadav said in a tweet that he met the two Left leaders and had a positive discussion on the current social, economic and political scenario prevailing in the country and Bihar.
"Bihar, the land which gave birth to democracy, has again shown the way to the country," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.
He also celebrated Raksha Bandhan with his sisters here.
Yadav is likely to be back in Bihar soon for the cabinet expansion expected immediately after Independence Day.
The expansion would be followed, later this month, by a special session of the assembly when the new government will prove its majority on the floor.
The RJD leader served as deputy chief minister of Bihar from 2015 to 2017.
Kumar and Yadav had taken oath on Wednesday, a day after the JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD, the Congress and some other parties to form a Mahagathbandhan' government.
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Rohit identifies Arshdeep, Hardik as key to India's chances in T20 World Cup
New Delhi (PTI): T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh will hold the key to India's prospects in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Defending champions India will enter the T20 showpiece as one of the overwhelming favourites due to their massive depth and quality.
Rohit highlighted Arshdeep's effectiveness with the new ball and at the death.
"It is a big positive to have both Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh together because they always attack for wickets. Arshdeep's biggest strength is swinging the new ball and taking early wickets. He mainly bowls with the new ball and at the death. Starting and finishing are the most important phases, and he is strong in both," Rohit told JioHotstar.
"With the new ball, he swings it to get left-handers caught in the slips and targets the pads of right-handers. He has also started taking the ball away from right-handers. These skills are key for a new-ball bowler. He always tries to take wickets, which is why he bowls the first over."
Rohit added, "In the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, he did a great job. I still remember he dismissed Quinton de Kock when he was set and batting well. In the 19th over, he gave away just two or three runs, which built pressure on the South Africans.
"That is his game, bowling with the new ball and at the death, and he will play a key role for India in the 2026 T20 World Cup."
India won the last edition of the tournament in the Americas under Rohit's captaincy, after which the dashing opener retired from the T20 format internationally.
Rohit also spoke about how Hardik's dual role as a finisher and multi-phase bowler provides crucial balance to the Indian team.
"Whenever Hardik Pandya is in the team, his role is huge. He bats and bowls very consistently. His batting is crucial when the team is stuck. If we have a score of 160 on the board in 15-16 overs and Hardik is batting, then he's the one who can help the team reach 210-220 from there or if we are 50 for 4, he has to build the innings.
"Batting in the middle order at 5, 6, or 7 is very tough. That is why Hardik's role is critical in any format. We know his bowling. He bowls in key phases, with the new ball, in the middle and in the death as well. His role is very important because he gives the team balance, letting us play six bowlers and keep our batting deep."
Rohit said accommodating both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy together in the playing XI is going to be a big challenge for the Indian team management.
"The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy together. If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge.
"But honestly, I would be tempted to play both Varun and Kuldeep because they are wicket-takers and batters struggle to read them. I would surely pick them."
The former India skipper added, "Looking at the conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends.
"Even in Mumbai, which doesn't get cold, there's still dew. I'd say 90-95 percent of grounds in India have dew. That's the challenge. What do the coach and captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there's no fixed rule. It depends on the team leaders' thinking."
Rohit also urged Kuldeep to stop appealing on every ball and to rely on the wicketkeeper's judgment for reviews.
"My one simple advice to Kuldeep is to just bowl quietly and go back to his mark. You can't appeal on every ball. This is basic. I keep saying it, but it still happens often. Even after telling him many times, he appeals at every chance. You have to use your head. Just because it touches the pad, it doesn't mean it's out every time. This isn't gully cricket.
"I get he is enthusiastic, but think of the team first. Each team only gets two DRS reviews. If I was the keeper, I could see where the ball pitched and if it was hitting, I could tell the bowler.
"But from covers or slip, you don't know the angle. You have to listen to what the keeper and bowler say. That's why when there's a review off Kuldeep's bowling, I don't look at him, I look at the keeper to decide."
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in venues across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
