Tejashwi Yadav said Nitish Kumar is not demanding Centre declare the flood a national disaster.

Patna, October 2, 2024: Tejashwi Yadav, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and RJD leader, strongly criticized Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not pressuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the ongoing flood crisis in North Bihar, Kosi and Seemanchal regions a national disaster.

Tejashwi Yadav highlighted that Bihar currently has 30 MPs, including 7 ministers, in the central government, yet they appear powerless and helpless in addressing the state’s needs during this severe crisis. He questioned why Nitish Kumar had not united with the Prime Minister to push for a national disaster declaration, which would unlock greater resources for relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Drawing a comparison to the 2008 Kusaha embankment breach, Tejashwi Yadav noted that during that time, the UPA government, led by PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, quickly provided Rs 1000 crore in financial assistance and adequate food grains to help flood-affected people.

“Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister at that time, and he was instrumental in bringing the flood situation to national attention. Due to his request, PM Manmohan Singh and then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the flood-affected regions of Bihar,” he said.

Tejashwi Yadav continues his critique of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by bringing up past allegations regarding the mismanagement of food grains during the 2008 Kosi flood disaster.

“The Nitish Kumar government had requested 1 lakh ton of food grains from the central government, but the UPA government led by PM Manmohan Singh provided 1.25 lakh tons. Nitish Kumar saved the surplus food grain and allegedly used it for political gains during the 2010 assembly elections, taking undue credit for the relief measures,” he said.

Tejashwi Yadav further criticized the current NDA government in Bihar for failing to adequately address the recurring issue of flood damage caused by embankment and dam breaches. He stated that the state government should he held accountable for these failures and provide explanations for the lack of permanent solutions.

“During the Kusaha embankment tragedy, Lalu Prasad Yadav had distributed 1 lakh Sari-Dhoti sets to flood-affected victims. Additionally, he donated Rs 1 crore, which he had won on “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC), as well as his one-month salary, to help those affected by the floods. Indian Railway and IRCTC employees also contributed their one-day salaries,” he said.

“Lalu Prasad Yadav has also arranged 25 railway tankers, with each a 20,000-liter capacity, to supply clean potable water, along with sending one lakh bottles of Rail Neer water to assist the victims,” Yadav said.

Also Read: Bihar Chief Minister asked officials to take the help of IAF to airdrop food packets.

EOM.