New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday took a direct swipe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, criticising posters that hailed the opposition leader as a “hero” of Bihar and remarked that calling an “incompetent” a hero is an insult to the word itself.

Manjhi took to the social media platform X to express his displeasure over the poster campaign (writing in Hindi), “Calling an incompetent a hero is an insult to the word ‘hero’.”

Along with the post, Manjhi shared an image of the poster featuring Tejashwi Yadav, which has been circulating widely across Patna and other cities. The posters depict Yadav as a “youth icon” and “Bihar’s hero”, projecting him as the chief ministerial face of the opposition Mahagathbandhan ahead of the upcoming state elections.

While NDA allies hailed Manjhi’s post as a “reality check”, RJD insiders dismissed it as an act of frustration.

Earlier in the day, Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, held a press conference in Patna, asserting that Bihar’s people are ready for change. “The people of Bihar gave them (the BJP and NDA) 20 years. We are asking for just 20 months, and I have complete faith that this time the people will bring change,” Yadav said.

Outlining his party’s promises, Yadav announced that the Mahagathbandhan government, if elected, would double the allowance for Panchayat and Gram Kachahri representatives and begin a pension scheme for former representatives. “Together, the Mahagathbandhan will build a new Bihar,” he said, emphasising a development-focused vision rooted in social welfare.

He also reiterated his previous promises of regularising contractual workers, recalling that during his 17-month tenure as Deputy CM, the government had achieved what others couldn’t in 17 years. “If Chacha ji (Nitish Kumar) had not switched sides, all pending work would have been completed,” he stated.

Yadav confirmed that discussions with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are underway and that the joint manifesto of the Mahagathbandhan will be announced soon. “We will sit together and make our vision for the Bihar public very shortly,” he said.

–IANS

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