Tejashwi Yadav accuses Nitish Kumar of copying his development plans, calls Bihar govt ‘copycat’

Patna: Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Monday accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of repackaging and announcing development schemes that he had proposed earlier, branding the state government a “scamster copycat”.

In a video released in the morning, Yadav said, “A thief may steal the idea, but from where will he bring the vision? Elections are near, so you are seeing these announcements. Since 2005, these tired people have been stealing our ideas. This time, the scamster copycat government will go, and a young government will come.”

The clip also features citizens claiming that major promises are made only during elections, crediting Yadav with first proposing measures such as a domicile policy, free electricity, and social security pensions for widows, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. One speaker alleged that a Rs 71,000 crore scam had occurred under the current government, citing the CAG report.

In recent weeks, Nitish Kumar has announced several welfare measures, including 125 units of free electricity, pensions for journalists, higher honorariums for physical education teachers, night watchmen, cooks in government schools, Asha and Mamata workers, implementation of a domicile policy in teacher recruitment, and 35 per cent reservation for women in all state government jobs.

Tejashwi Yadav has criticized each of these announcements as rebranded versions of his proposals, accusing the government of lacking originality. With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching, the tussle over credit for welfare schemes is expected to intensify.