PATNA: Stressing on his 10 lakh government job promise if he formed the government, Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said money would not be an issue and, if needed, the salary of ministers and legislators would be cut to pay the new employees. Tejashwi said loans up to Rs5 lakh taken for educational purposes will also be waived off.
“Chief minister Nitish Kumar always says from where I will get the money to provide employment to 10 lakh youths. Let me tell you that Rs80,000 crore of the state budget remains unspent. Also, Rs24,000-25,000 given to Bihar under right to education is sent back. These are enough. Even if the need be, we will cut the salary of chief minister, other ministers and legislators and give jobs,” Tejashwi said in the second series of his Yuva Naukri Samvad organized digitally on Monday.
Tejashwi said people, especially the youth, have bestowed faith in him. “Their anger against CM Nitish has converted into hate. Bihar has 46.6% unemployment, the highest in the country. I have seen how both the CM and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi have become tired and now cannot handle Bihar,” he said.
The son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad also promised to set up a university in Begusarai in the honour of poet late Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and another one in Mithilanchal region in the name of socialist leader late Karpoori Thakur. He also promised the formation of commissions for youth, businessmen, farmers and sportspersons. Tejashwi said several incidents of murder and kidnapping of businessmen and traders have occurred in Bihar recently. “We will form business safety squad,” he said.
Tejashwi, who is often mocked by the ruling NDA for being inexperienced and without any blueprint for his tall promises, said those who were posing questions on his ability should check his tenure of 18 months as the deputy chief minister of state. He repeated his promise of increasing the honorarium of self-help groups and making all contractual jobs permanent.
Before this talk, Tejashwi held rallies in 11 constituencies which will go to the polls in the third phase on November 7.