"Not Like BJP...": Tejashwi Yadav On PM Hitting Out At Opposition Over Abuse

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has condemned the use of derogatory words on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother during a joint RJD-Congress rally in Bihar. Mr Yadav, however, also alleged BJP leaders are no less in using abusive words on women.

"I want to say that no one should use derogatory language on anyone's mother. We condemn this. It is not in our culture," he said.

Then he added a caveat - it is not like BJP leaders have never said anything derogatory about women, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly said. Seen in this context, Mr Yadav's reaction appeared to be more in line with the Opposition's swipe at BJP leaders on issues linked to women.

PM Modi yesterday shared he felt deeply pained over the abuse and insult meted out to his late mother from the joint RJD-Congress election campaign event in Bihar. He called it "an insult to all the mothers of the country".

"As a son, it is a very painful moment for me. I never imagined such a level of politics," PM Modi said in a video conference with a gathering of women in Bihar.

Sources said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is now considering launching a massive campaign - 'Maa Ka Sammaan' - for seeking support of women voters in Bihar. As part of the tentative strategy, senior NDA leaders will travel across Bihar and hold meetings with women, especially senior citizens, sources said.

Some NDA leaders in Delhi are already discussing the finer details and they would meet with BJP leader and Union Minister Amit Shah to finalise it, sources said.

The Bihar elections, just weeks away, will be held preceded by the acrimonious, high-stakes court and street battles over the Election Commission of India's (ECI) special intensive revision (SIR) exercise that deleted some 65 lakh names from voter lists across the state.

The SIR exercise triggered political controversy, with Opposition parties including the Congress, RJD and CPI-ML questioning the functioning of the ECI.

The ECI has described the voter list revision as a routine exercise aimed at removing duplicates, voters who have died, and migrated people, but the Opposition alleged genuine voters may have been struck off in large numbers.

While the NDA and the Opposition alliance are fighting, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is waiting on the sidelines hoping to spring a surprise. Women voters also hold the key to Jan Suraaj's success, Mr Kishor has said.

Mr Kishor explained the math that he has done - while RJD's Lalu Yadav and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar are still big factors, the Congress is like Lalu Yadav's tail-end ally, and the BJP is Nitish Kumar's support. But Lalu Yadav is not in the campaign due to age and health, and Nitish Kumar's health is also public knowledge.