Nadda lambasts RJD ahead of polls: "Did Tejashwi Yadav apologise to people of Bihar?"

Patna (Bihar) [India], September 13 (ANI): Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda, during a conclave in Patna on Saturday lambasted the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), questioning whether Bihar Assembly's Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav ever apologised for remarks made by his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on road development.
Addressing a gathering in Patna ahead of the upcoming polls, Nadda recalled Lalu's controversial statement that building roads would only allow police to reach faster.
The Union Minister said, "In the name of development, Lalu Yadav gave a statement that if we build a road, the police will reach you quickly. So many years have passed, and I want to ask, did Tejashwi Yadav apologise to the people of Bihar?"
He added that such thinking reflected a mindset against progress. "Vo kis tareeke se soch sakte hai ki vo Bihar ka bhala krenge," Nadda added.

The BJP national president said Bihar had suffered under RJD's leadership and was "pushed into darkness" due to what he described as selfish politics.
"Bihar, which used to give direction to the country, which used to put forward its views with sharpness in politics, is now being pushed into darkness due to the selfish efforts of some people and wrong leadership. We all know about Jungle Raj, but whenever we discuss it, people ask us to forget it. Jungle Raj, appeasement, and casteism have all plagued Bihar," he said
Nadda contrasted this with what he described as progress under the NDA.
"Due to the developments done in the last 20 years under the leadership of PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar, we can see a changed Bihar," Nadda said, highlighting that people now aspire for development and stability.
Turning his criticism towards the Congress, Nadda accused the Opposition of lowering political discourse, citing the AI-generated video which allegedly showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi dreaming about his late mother, Heeraben Modi, who is lambasting him over his politics.
"If I talk about politics, our Opposition has brought politics to such low levels. The way in which the Prime Minister's mother was abused and no one regretted it to date -- this tells about their character. The video released yesterday by Congress is proof that this is your thinking," he said.
The reactions come ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, which are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet announced an official date.
While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to continue its tenure in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress, and left parties, seeks to oust Nitish Kumar.
In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131, with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates.
The Opposition's INDIA Bloc comprises 111 members, with the RJD leading with 77 MLAs, followed by Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2. (ANI)