Tejashwi Yadav’s Bihar Adhikar Yatra draws thousands, with RJD claiming growing anger over corruption, crime and unemployment, while NDA leaders tout development ahead of crucial state elections.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has declared that his Bihar Adhikar Yatra is receiving overwhelming support from the people of the state, who, he claims, are deeply dissatisfied with the ruling government. On the second day of the march, Yadav reiterated that corruption, crime, and extortion have worsened under the present administration, making daily life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens.
Addressing reporters in Patna, Yadav said the turnout for the yatra has been far larger than expected, with thousands taking to the streets to express solidarity with his campaign. “Wherever we are going, people are coming out in huge numbers. The entire public of Bihar is furious with the current government. Corruption has increased, extortion has increased in block offices and police stations,” Yadav remarked.
He further accused the state of failing to provide even the most basic sense of security. “Crime has increased so much that people do not feel safe even in their own homes,” he added, stressing that law and order in Bihar had “completely collapsed.”
The Bihar Adhikar Yatra was launched on Tuesday from Jehanabad with the stated goals of addressing unemployment, ensuring women’s rights, restoring respect for teachers, and strengthening the education and health sectors. The march is set to pass through Begusarai, Khagaria, and Madhepura before concluding in Vaishali on September 20.
According to RJD MP Sanjay Yadav, the rally is also an attempt to cover the districts that were not included in the earlier Congress-led ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra.’ “After the voter march, some districts were left out. Leaders and workers from those areas urged that their voices must also be heard. Tejashwi ji has taken this decision to respect their feelings,” he said. He also framed the initiative as a vision for a “new Bihar” that focuses on employment, women’s empowerment, industrial growth, and improved education and health facilities.
Yadav himself has promised that if voted to power, his party would establish a “corruption-free” and “crime-free” government that puts youth employment and social justice at the forefront.
However, his campaign has drawn sharp criticism from political rivals. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh dismissed the yatra as hollow politics, suggesting that Tejashwi should take his father, former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, on a road trip to witness the development that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has brought. “Lalu Yadav used to ask what people would do with electricity and roads. Let Tejashwi show him the progress made under Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Singh said.
Adding another layer of criticism, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor called Tejashwi Yadav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi “expired medicines” incapable of curing Bihar’s chronic problems of corruption and unemployment. “They cannot provide any real solution,” Kishor asserted, underscoring his belief that Bihar’s politics requires an entirely new direction.
The political heat comes just months before Bihar heads to the polls. The state Assembly election later this year will see a high-stakes battle between the incumbent NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the opposition Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the RJD.
Currently, the NDA holds a comfortable majority in the 243-member Assembly, with 131 seats, including 80 from the BJP, 45 from the Janata Dal (United), four from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and support from two Independents. The RJD-led opposition, however, is betting heavily on anti-incumbency sentiments, particularly among unemployed youth and marginalised groups, to turn the tide in its favour.
For Tejashwi Yadav, the Bihar Adhikar Yatra is as much about strengthening his personal political standing as it is about mobilising grassroots anger against the government. Whether this momentum translates into votes will only become clear once the electoral battle begins, but the early signs suggest that Bihar’s politics is set for an intense and polarising contest.
