In a major announcement ahead of the assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Thursday said that if the RJD-led Opposition INDIA bloc came to power in Bihar, it would bring an Act to ensure that every family in the state has at least one member with a government job.
Speaking to the media, Tejashwi said the proposed Act would be introduced within 20 days of the formation of the new government. “The NDA could not provide jobs to youth in 20 years. We will bring an Act within 20 days of coming to power and ensure its implementation within 20 months,” he stated.
The former Deputy Chief Minister revealed that he had promised jobs to the youth in the 2020 assembly elections as well. “During the 17-month rule of the Grand Alliance government, I ensured that five lakh youths were employed. One can imagine what could have been possible if I had received a full five-year term,” he asserted.
He claimed that there would be no home in Bihar without a government job. The RJD leader added that this was one more promise in the long list of measures the Opposition alliance has pledged to the people ahead of the election, which will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. “This is the first of many announcements I will be making ahead of the elections,” he said.
He emphasized that his priority is to provide employment to the people of Bihar rather than giving them unemployment allowances, as has been done by the Nitish Kumar government in the state. Launching a scathing attack, Tejashwi said Bihar did not need a 75-year-old chief minister.
Tejashwi’s announcement is seen as a response to the ruling NDA’s poll initiatives to provide welfare schemes. The government’s initiative to provide Rs. 10,000 each to women entrepreneurs in every household has attracted women voters towards the ruling alliance.
On September 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna, a state-funded assistance scheme for women in Bihar. He launched the self-employment scheme through video conferencing from New Delhi and directly transferred Rs. 10,000 each into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women in the poll-bound state.
In addition, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on October 3 transferred Rs. 2,500 crore through DBT into the bank accounts of 25 lakh women across Bihar, providing financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 each under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna.
