'Did he talk about the issues of Bihar...': Tejashwi Yadav on PM Modi's eating non-veg during Navratri comment

Tejashwi Yadav on Friday from the Rashtriya Janata Dal responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of the Opposition's 'Mughal mindset,' regarding allegations of eating non-vegetarian food during the auspicious months of 'Saawan' and Navratri.

 

During a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur, Modi mentioned that he expected criticism and attacks from his opponents after his statement, but he believed it was his responsibility in a democracy to present the true side of situations to the people.

“You will have to understand that he is not speaking on the issues. Did he talk about the issues of Bihar, its youth, farmers and mass exodus? ...Key issues like poverty, unemployment and how many jobs have been provided need to be discussed. Why didn't PM Modi eradicate poverty?…Why was Bihar not given special status?” the former deputy chief minister of Bihar said  in Gaya.

 

A video of Tejashwi Yadav went viral recently, showing him eating fish with Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani.

After facing criticism for eating non-vegetarian food during Navratri, Tejashwi Yadav stated that the video was from April 8, and he purposely shared it later to test the "IQ" of BJP leaders. He criticized them for not addressing real issues like unemployment, migration, and poverty.

During a rally in Udhampur on Friday, while campaigning for Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Modi criticized the Congress and the INDIA bloc, accusing them of disregarding the sentiments of most Indians. He alleged that one of their leaders visited a convicted ally, who is out on bail, to cook mutton during the month of 'Saawan', and also manipulated Indian beliefs by filming videos.

“The Congress and the INDIA bloc do not care about the feelings of most Indians. The love playing with people’s feelings. One of their leaders visited an ally — who is a convict and is out on bail — to cook mutton during the month of ‘Saawan’. They also instigated beliefs of Indians by shooting videos,” Modi said.

In September last year, a viral video showed Rahul Gandhi cooking Champaran mutton with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at Yadav's residence in New Delhi.

“The law doesn’t stop anyone from eating anything, and neither Modi does. All are free to have veg and non-veg whenever they want. However, the motives of these people (members of the INDIA bloc) is different. Their objective is similar to Mughals, who did not get satisfaction by just defeating the kings in India. They achieved contentment only when they destroyed temples,” the prime minister added.

Modi compared the Congress and its allies' mindset to that of the Mughals, alleging they derived pleasure from vandalizing temples. He accused them of teasing the majority community by showing videos of eating meat during the month of Saawan to gain votes.

"You must have seen how the Congress hates the Ram temple. The Congress and its entire ecosystem start screaming if there is even a reference to the temple. They say the Ram temple is an election issue for the BJP. It was never an election issue and will never be an election issue," Modi said at the rally.

RJD MP Manoj Jha also came back with a response to PM’s comments and said, “What is happening? Your leaders fell into the trap, and now you too? The video is of April 8, and has no connection with Navratri. Why not talk about jobs? You came to power with promise of two crore jobs every year. What happened to that now? Why are you silent on it? You are silent on jobs, better healthcare. But fish is all that you can see. Diverting from main issues will not do anymore. This can’t be expected from at least the prime minister.”