The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unleashed a scathing attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, labeling his recent election promises to Bihar’s Jeevika Didis as “cruel jokes” aimed at deceiving voters. The salvo came mere hours after Yadav’s Wednesday rally in Muzaffarpur, where he pledged transformative support for the state’s women self-help groups, including financial aid, job guarantees, and empowerment programs to bolster rural women who are pivotal to Bihar’s economy.

Speaking at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Yadav of spinning “lofty, unrealistic poll promises” to manipulate public sentiment, particularly among women. “Tejashwi’s intentions are transparent—it’s a cruel joke on Bihar’s people,” Trivedi declared. He backed his claim with a fiscal breakdown, arguing that Yadav’s flagship promise to provide government jobs to one member of every family is financially untenable.

Citing Bihar’s estimated population of 13.5 crore, Trivedi calculated that fulfilling jobs for one member of each of the state’s roughly 2.90 crore families would require an annual expenditure of Rs 29 lakh crore, assuming an average monthly salary of Rs 75,000 (ranging from Rs 30,000 for entry-level roles to Rs 2 lakh for senior positions). In stark contrast, Bihar’s current state budget is a modest Rs 3.17 lakh crore. “Where will he conjure these funds from? This isn’t just impractical—it’s an insult to Bihar’s voters,” Trivedi said, invoking the state’s Buddhist legacy. “On the land of Buddha, where truth reigns, stop fooling the people.”

Also Read: Congress Alleges Religious Bias in Sarfaraz Khan’s Omission, BJP Denounces ‘Divisive Politics’

Trivedi didn’t stop at economics. He dug into the RJD’s governance history under Tejashwi’s father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, reminding voters of the “dark days” from 1990 to 2005. “Bihar hasn’t forgotten the threats to women’s lives and honor during Lalu’s rule,” he said, referencing widespread lawlessness and crime that tainted the RJD’s tenure. He also ridiculed the RJD’s current coalition politics as “a joke in itself,” calling it a shaky alliance driven by opportunism rather than principle.

In Patna, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary amplified the attack, accusing Tejashwi’s parents, Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, of “looting Bihar for 15 years.” He pointed to the infamous fodder scam and other corruption scandals that led to Lalu’s imprisonment. “They couldn’t deliver jobs to even one lakh people when in power. Bihar knows these dream-sellers only excel at plundering the state,” Chaudhary said, framing Yadav’s promises as a betrayal of public trust.

The BJP’s offensive is part of a broader strategy ahead of Bihar’s upcoming assembly elections, where jobs and women’s safety are key issues. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), has highlighted its success with the Jeevika program, which has empowered over 1.2 crore women through microfinance and skill development, contrasting it with the RJD’s “jungle raj” era of chaos.

Yadav’s promises, which include Rs 2,500 monthly stipends for Jeevika Didis, interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh, and priority in government contracts, aim to solidify RJD’s support among rural women, a key voting bloc that showed up strongly for the party in 2020. However, the BJP’s sharp rebuttal has sparked a social media frenzy, with #CruelJoke trending across Bihar and memes mocking Yadav’s pledges flooding platforms like X.

As the election nears, this clash underscores a deeper battle of narratives: the BJP’s focus on fiscal discipline and governance versus the RJD’s populist appeal to Bihar’s marginalized. With youth unemployment exceeding 20% and women’s workforce participation languishing at around 20%, the stakes are monumental. Will Tejashwi’s ambitious vision sway voters, or will the BJP’s call for realism prevail? The answer lies in the hands of Bihar’s electorate.

Also Read: Karnataka Congress and BJP Clash Over Alleged Fund Diversion to Bihar Elections