By Kavita Sharma
Photo Credit: The Suncity News
Patna, July 28, 2026; Amid the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly by-election campaign, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday announced that if the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) forms the government in Bihar, students arrested during protest movements would be provided a pension, similar to the pension granted to participants of the JP Movement.
Addressing the media in Patna, Tejashwi said his party and its Bankipur candidate, Rekha Gupta, were campaigning vigorously.
Referring to his roadshows in the constituency, he claimed there was widespread public anger against the ruling NDA government.
“The government had promised lakhs of jobs and financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to women, but none of those promises were fulfilled.
There has always been a gap between the BJP’s words and actions. This time, the people of Bankipur will give them a fitting reply,” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav claimed people will vote for the change in the Bankipur constituency:
Tejashwi asserted that the political atmosphere in the constituency was in favour of the RJD candidate and expressed confidence that Rekha July 30 by-election.
Launching a sharp attack on the state government, he alleged that the BJP had deceived the people and accused the NDA of “vote theft” and misusing public resources.
He also alleged that Bihar was witnessing a “people-backed gunda raj” under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, claiming the state government lacked both vision and a roadmap.
Tejashwi Yadav further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had planned to campaign for the Bankipur by-election under the guise of inaugurating a bridge but cancelled the visit after realizing the BJP was unlikely to win the seat.
On the FIR withdrawal:
Commenting on the Bihar government’s recent decision to withdraw criminal cases registered against students involved in the NEET-UG protests, Tejashwi Yadav claimed the move was a result of opposition pressure.
“We had given the government an ultimatum that if the cases were not withdrawn, we would launch a massive agitation. The government had no option but to bow before public pressure,” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav also reiterated the opposition’s demand for a judicial inquiry into the alleged AK-47 firing incident during the recent student protests.
Making a fresh political promise, Tejashwi said that if the RJD came to power, it would introduce a pension scheme for students arrested during protest movements, drawing a parallel with the pension currently provided to participants of the Jayaprakash Narayan movement.
“Just as the government provides pensions to those associated with the JP movement, we will ensure that students who were arrested during democratic protests also receive pensions if our government is formed,” he said.
Also Read: Tejashwi Yadav congratulated Prem Kumar, stressing impartiality and a strong opposition role.
EOM.
