Bihar elections: 'JDU tickets will be distributed by Amit Shah,' says RJD's Tejashwi Yadav; terms NDA 'copycat' over pension scheme

NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday took a swipe at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar , claiming that due to his "unconscious state," it would be Union home minister Amit Shah -- and not Kumar -- who would end up distributing Janata Dal (United) tickets for the upcoming state assembly elections. He also targeted Kumar's pension hike scheme calling it a "copycat" move claiming that Mahagathbandhan had already made this announcement "seven months ago".

"Nitish Kumar's unconscious state is a blessing for them. The JDU tickets will also be distributed by Amit Shah... This is confirmed. Sanjay Jha is a BJP-RSS person. He is in JDU from the Arun Jaitley quota," he said while speaking to the reporters.

#WATCH | Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, "... Nitish Kumar's unconscious state is a blessing for them. The JDU tickets will also be distributed by Amit Shah... This is confirmed. Sanjay Jha is a BJP-RSS person. He is in JDU from the Arun Jaitley quota..." pic.twitter.com/dTQKWHMnpl

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2025

On pension hike, Yadav said in a post on X, "The Mahagathbandhan government is coming and this is causing tension, so the copycats of NDA are copying our announcements and increasing pension! We announced this 7 months ago, made continuous demands from the government, asked for inclusion of our announcements in the budget and asked for a separate budget provision. We had repeatedly said that we will force this government to increase the pension and we did it. Jai Bihar! Jai Bihari! "

महागठबंधन सरकार आ रही है इससे हो रही 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, इसलिए 𝐍𝐃𝐀 के नकलची हमारी घोषणाओं की नक़ल कर बढ़ा रहे 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧!

हमने 𝟕 महीने पहले इसकी घोषणा की, सरकार से लगातार माँग की, बजट में भी हमारी घोषणाओं को सम्मिलित करने की माँग के साथ अलग से बजट का प्रावधान करने को कहा।… pic.twitter.com/8aMfNhEIeX

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) June 21, 2025

He further criticised Nitish Kumar-led government for having "no vision for the progress of Bihar" and said, "The CM is now tired and has no vision for the progress of Bihar. How will he make the state a 'Viksit Bihar'? Meanwhile, the two Deputy CMs are busy abusing Tejashwi and Lalu Ji—one is a loudmouth, and the other is foul-mouthed."

VIDEO | Patna: Addressing a press conference, Bihar LoP and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) says, "The CM is now tired and has no vision for the progress of Bihar. How will he make the state a 'Viksit Bihar'? Meanwhile, the two Deputy CMs are busy abusing Tejashwi and… pic.twitter.com/mDNX1T7kAs

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 21, 2025

"We will force the government to speak on IT parks, SEZ (Special Economic Zone), industrial clusters, industrial parks, semiconductor factories, food processing units, textile hubs, educational hubs and health cities. This is our vision: all-around development. The government will be forced to pay attention to these topics. Nitish Kumar was there for 20 years, and PM Modi has been there for the last 11 years. Why were the things mentioned above not established? But when Tejashwi comes, he will complete all these works," he added.

#WATCH | Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, "This government has no vision. We will force the government to speak on IT parks, SEZ (Special Economic Zone), industrial clusters, industrial parks, semiconductor factories, food processing units, textile hubs, educational hubs… pic.twitter.com/xVFQb9vfWH

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2025

Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar announced a major increase in the state's Social Security Pension Scheme, raising the monthly pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and widows.

The announcement comes just months before the key Bihar assembly elections. Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the opposition front, led by Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), includes Congress as a partner.