‘Not Afraid Of FIRs’: Tejashwi Yadav Defends ‘Jumla’ Remark On PM Modi

Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the RJD, declared on Saturday that he would "continue to speak the truth" and that he was "not afraid" of a FIR  being filed against him in BJP-ruled Maharashtra for his social media post on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ahead of the PM's tour of Bihar on Friday, Yadav was booked in the Gadchiroli district for a post on his X handle in which he claimed that Modi's promises to the people were a "jumla" (rhetoric).

"Who is afraid of a FIR?" the leader retorted according to PTI. "Is the word 'jumla' offensive?  All I was doing was being honest.  And I'll keep doing that.  They are free to file as many complaints against me as they choose". 

As part of the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the former Bihar deputy chief minister visited fish markets and makhana fields in the Katihar region of north Bihar.

In front of several leaders, including Rajesh Ranjan, an Independent Member of Parliament whose Purnea Lok Sabha constituency includes a portion of Katihar, Gandhi was observed conversing with fishermen and makhana (fox nut) growers and listening to their issues.

In the Union budget earlier this year, it was announced that a makhana board would be established to increase production of makhana, a popular snack that is also used in religious ceremonies and to make desserts.

According to PTI, citing his fondness for he "super food" as a snack, the PM has also been promoting produce from north Bihar.

Earlier this year, when he spoke at the opening ceremony of the Khelo India tournament in Bihar, Modi urged athletes from all over the nation to make sure they had a good time during their visit. Purnea town, which is around 30 kilometres away, is where the day's Yatra is supposed to end.

Yadav's close aide and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav fulminated against the BJP over the FIR against the leader of the opposition in the assembly.

He said, "What is the point in lodging FIRs in far-off states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Assam? The BJP shares power in Bihar, too. If they have the guts, let them lodge an FIR here. I also challenge all BJP MLAs across the country to lodge FIRs against our leader." Notably, the FIR at Gadchiroli is said to have been filed following a complaint by local BJP MLA Milind Narote.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav, who is also taking part in the Yatra, dubbed the FIR an instance of "political vendetta".

The former Bihar Congress president added, "The BJP should know that we belong to a political lineage which fought the British without getting cowed down. We are not the ones to be intimidated by the likes of Modi and Amit Shah."