Tejashwi slams Bihar government over flood relief, says money wasted by lighting lamps for PM’s birthday

Bihar’s opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, in a scathing critique of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), accused Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and BJP national president Nitin Nabin of being mere "rubber stamps" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yadav, the national working president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), criticized the NDA for squandering funds on Prime Minister Modi's birthday celebrations, instead of providing relief to flood-affected Bihar.

He questioned why the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had not visited the flood-stricken state, and accused NDA leaders of donating their monthly salaries to flood relief efforts as mere "drama to divert attention." Yadav claimed that the money spent on lighting diyas on Modi's birthday was far more than what the NDA leaders contributed to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which was less than ₹3 crore.

He argued that this contribution was insufficient for the 50 lakh people affected by the flood, and demanded that the government provide ₹15,000 in financial aid to flood victims and conduct a survey of drought-affected farmers. Yadav also highlighted that Bihar has experienced both floods and drought, with less than 35% of normal rainfall over the past 28 days, leading to destroyed crops and a livelihood crisis for farmers.

He accused the government of withdrawing contingency funds in June, leaving flood victims without adequate support.