Bihar Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, younger son of jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad, has emerged as “the most-wanted” politician these days. Tejashwi who has mysteriously gone missing for the past about a month failed to turn up even on the opening day of the monsoon session of the Bihar Assembly today, leaving his party virtually rudderless.
Everyone expected Prasad’s scion would corner the ruling Nitish Kumar government over its failures to prevent deaths of children from suspected encephalitis and worsening law and order situation in the state but instead he has become a butt of joke over his mysterious absence. What’s embarrassing for the party legislators is that none of them have any idea about his whereabouts, when will he return to the Assembly and also who one will lead the Opposition in his absence.
Former chief minister Rabri Devi just lost her calm when the newsmen asked about the whereabouts of her son in the assembly premises. “Aapke ghar mein(In your home),” a furious Rabri shot back when the media persons asked about Tejahwi’s whereabouts. But very soon she controlled over her emotions and said her son was busy in some important works. “He is not hiding or loitering around. He is busy in some works, and not sitting idle. He will come soon,” she asserted.
Tejashwi who is bitter critic of chief minister Kumar has gone completely missing since 28 May when he was last seen attending the meeting of party’s Lok Sabha candidates held to review party debacle in the just-held polls. This was the first time in party’s 22- year-old history that the RJD failed to open its account in the state despite contesting the elections in alliance with six parties.
The party was even wiped out in the minority-dominated border region. The Congress was the only party in the RJD-led Grand Alliance that was able to open its account. What’s further strange, Tejashwi’s Twitter handle has fallen silent.
What apparently has shattered Tejashwi who was leading the party campaign in the absence of his father is that the masses failed to support him overwhelmingly even though most of his election rallies drew impressive crowds.
All through his rallies he had launched vituperative attacks on the chief minister Kumar claiming latter party would vanish from state’s political scene like a dinosaur but much to his shock, the JD-U put up a spectacular performance, winning 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats it had contested under the alliance.