NEW DELHI: Political tensions have surged in Bihar, with the BJP accusing Tejashwi Yadav of insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother, Heeraben. This charge was propelled by a viral video shared by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and the BJP’s Bihar social media handle, rekindling hostilities between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the BJP, shortly after a similar incident occurred involving derogatory remarks aimed at Modi during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga.
Choudhary posted a video on X, alleging that Tejashwi Yadav had once again disrespected Modi’s late mother. He claimed, “Tejashwi Yadav has once again insulted Modi ji’s late mother. He has once again torn apart the culture of Bihar. In the rally, the RJD workers were hurling as many abuses as they could, and Tejashwi was encouraging them. The mothers and sisters of Bihar will surely hold him accountable for this thuggish mentality and abusive behavior.”
The news agency PTI noted that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the video circulating on social media platforms. Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai also criticized Tejashwi during a public meeting, sharing a purported video where an unidentified person appears to use offensive language directed at Modi while Tejashwi was present.
In response, the RJD condemned the BJP’s allegations as false. An RJD MLA countered on Facebook, asserting that Tejashwi’s speech at a rally in Mahua included no abusive language toward the Prime Minister. The MLA stated, “BJP people are posting videos in which the speech of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav ji has no original audio. The audio has been distorted and manipulated in these videos to defame him.”
Tejashwi, regarded as a key leader in the INDIA alliance in Bihar, commenced his ‘Bihar Adhikar Yatra’ on September 16 from Jehanabad. In this initial phase, he covered significant areas including Nalanda, the home region of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Begusarai, a stronghold for Union Minister Giriraj Singh, concluding his tour in Vaishali on September 20.
