Tejashwi Yadav had written a tweet in Bhojpuri dialect mocking Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. (File)
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav's celebratory tweet after his party's win in a recent by-poll at Jokihat triggered an angry exchange of words between leaders of his party and the ruling Janata Dal United on Saturday. JDU lawmaker Neeraj Kumar said he never expected very "high standards" from Mr Yadav as he did not even "complete high school". The RJD said in response that even Kalidas and Tulsidas didn't have formal education.
After the RJD's win in the bypoll, Tejashwi Yadav had mocked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a tweet written in Bhojpuri dialect, saying the chief minister's earlier successes were because he was in the alliance with his party.
The RJD wrested the Jokihat assembly seat from the JDU and registered victory by a huge margin of over 41,000 votes.
"I am appalled by the language he has used. Though I never expected very high standards from him given that he did not even complete high school. The provocative tone of his tweet is in such a poor taste that I wonder whether he got admission to the prestigious Delhi Public School on merit or by virtue of the clout enjoyed by his family which is responsible for his meteoric rise," Neeraj Kumar said.
Reacting to Mr Kumar's statement, RJD lawmaker Bhai Veerendra said the JDU leader's statement shows that he and his party lacks sanskar (culture). "As far as educational qualifications are concerned, neither Kalidas nor Tulsidas had any. But can anybody doubt their knowledge and merit," he said.
Mr Veerendra challenged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to have an open debate with Tejashwi Yadav. "The debate can be held in English or Hindi, whichever language their leader feels comfortable with. If our leader loses, I will retire from active politics," he said.
Nitish Kumar-led JDU had quit alliance with RJD and formed a government in Bihar after taking support from the BJP.