Chirag Paswan mocks Opposition’s Bihar poll boycott calls: ‘I dare them…’

Chirag Paswan

Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday hit out at the Opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav talked about boycotting the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar due to special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

“I dare them to do so, they are such political parties who cannot even fight alone. The RJD, an old party of Bihar, does not have a courage to fight elections alone, they are in alliance with Congress,” he said.

“Congress also does not have the courage to fight alone here, Chirag Paswan did it in 2020. They are only trying to create fear... At the time of Lok Sabha elections, they were telling that Constitution would be finished, reservation will end, has it happened? The kind of confusion being created about SIR, is the same like what they did at the time of CAA,” the Lok Janshakti Party president said.

His remarks came after Tejashwi Yadav asserted that the option is open for his party and its allies to "boycott” the assembly polls in the state due later this year.

“The option is open for boycott of elections. We will take a decision after discussing the matter with other parties. What is the point in contesting elections if we are convinced that these are not going to be free and fair”, the former deputy CM said.

The Congress, meanwhile, also stated that the "Tughlaqi process" of the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar will be opposed at all forums and "all options are open" for the INDIA bloc.

The Congress further said that the INDIA bloc will decide on the issue collectively while continuing to oppose the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Opposition parties have claimed that the Election Commission (EC) exercise will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens.

The opposition parties have repeatedly called for a discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha regarding the revision exercise, moving adjournment motions everyday since the start of the monsoon session and alleging that manipulation of voter rolls is taking place under the guise of the SIR.

Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.

(With agency inputs)