Launching a sharp attack on the ruling NDA government at the Centre, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said here on Tuesday that the 2019 elections would be a fight between Mandal, Ambedkar and Gandhi on the one hand and Nathuram Godse and M.S. Golwalkar on the other.
Painting a grim picture of freedoms and social justice under the present government, he said at an event on the role of youth in contemporary politics that only Bahujans and the discourse of social justice can challenge the Narendra Modi government.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly took digs at both State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 18-minute address, exhorting the youth not to be afraid and defend the “Constitution, country and reservations”.
“If I had known chacha (uncle) was such a coward, we would not have gone for the Grand Alliance in the last Bihar Assembly polls. My father was never afraid. He had arrested [Lal Krishna] Advani ji during the Rath Yatra. He fought for reservations. He always fought like a lion,” he said, unfavourably comparing Mr. Kumar to his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. “My father never went back on his ideology. He never compromised with Manuvaad and communalism.”
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister's reported statement that selling pakodas was also a form of employment, Mr. Yadav said, “Modi ji says the youth should sell pakodas. We respect the youth selling pakodas, but even that requires some money. If not ₹15 lakh, please make a start by giving people ₹1-2 lakh, so that they can sell pakodas.” He then added, “But if all people start selling pakodas, who will buy the pakodas?”
The interactive session organised by Forum of Students and Teachers of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia saw the presence of some academics on stage, including DU professor and RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, JNU political scientist M.N. Thakur and DU political scientist N. Sukumar.
Asked in the question and answer session who the RJD's candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls would be, Mr. Yadav said it was too early to comment on this, adding that the present priority was a united front to take on the government.