Instead of addressing issues like poverty, unemployment, and migration, the BJP leaders are only focused on stirring up communal tensions, claims the RJD leader
Team Clarion
PATNA — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is orchestrating a “conspiracy to throw Bihar into the fire of hatred,” Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and firebrand Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, has said.
In a live address on Facebook on Wednesday, Yadav labelled the party as the “enemy of peace and humanity.”
Strongly condemning the inflammatory speech by BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh, Yadav asserted that any attempt to target Muslims would be met with firm resistance. The RJD leader vowed to “destroy those who look down on Muslims brick by brick,” calling the BJP lawmaker’s statement reckless and intending to sow communal discord.
A controversy erupted after Pradeep Kumar Singh, the BJP MP from Araria, made incendiary statements during the ‘Hindu Swabhiman Yatra’ organised by Union Minister Giriraj Singh in Bihar’s Seemanchal region. Singh reportedly said, “If you want to live in Araria, you have to become a Hindu,” sparking widespread outrage. The remark quickly went viral on social media, igniting a series of reactions from political leaders and the public.
Yadav did not mince words in his response and pointed out that such statements were a deliberate attempt to incite communal violence in the state. “These people are not concerned about poverty, unemployment, or the migration from Seemanchal. Their only agenda is to divide communities and create Hindu-Muslim conflicts,” Yadav said.
The RJD leader also aimed guns at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, criticising him for remaining silent on the issue. He accused Kumar of hypocritically invoking the legacies of secular leaders like Mahatma Gandhi while allowing divisive forces to flourish in the state. “They speak of Gandhi but work to promote the ideologies of Godse,” Yadav remarked, referring to the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.
Yadav emphasised that his party had always stood for secularism and social justice and would continue to fight communalism. “We have always fought against forces that divide our society, and we will not stay silent if anyone tries to malign our Muslim brothers,” Yadav added, reiterating his commitment to protecting Bihar’s communal harmony.
He also questioned the purpose of the yatra, particularly in the backward region of Seemanchal, which has a significant population of Dalits, minorities, and economically disadvantaged groups. “Instead of addressing issues like poverty, unemployment, and migration, they are only focused on stirring up communal tensions,” Yadav said, calling out the central government for its failure to address real concerns in the region.
The ‘Hindu Swabhiman Yatra’ led by Giriraj Singh has drawn criticism from various quarters, including the Janata Dal (United). Party spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Singh also questioned the need for such a yatra, warning that it could disrupt the communal harmony in the state. He pointed out that his party has significant support in the Seemanchal area and that the party did not want this harmony to be undermined by divisive rhetoric.
Tejashwi Yadav concluded his address by calling for unity among all communities, reminding the public that India’s freedom was won through the collective sacrifice of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. “The soil of this country contains the blood of all its people. We must not let anyone divide us,” he said.
As the political climate in Bihar heats up ahead of the assembly elections, Yadav’s forceful rebuttal reflects the growing tension between secular and communal forces in the state. His remarks serve as a rallying cry for those who seek to preserve Bihar’s tradition of inclusivity and social justice in the face of rising communal rhetoric.
