Tejashwi says Nitish is tired, JD(U)-BJP hit back

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is tired and no longer able to manage Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Sunday, drawing sharp retorts from leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

Yadav, 31, apparently referring to the age of the 69-year-old chief minister and said that he has got tired due to which he gives up when faced with a difficult situation -- be it the coronavirus pandemic or Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak in Muzaffarpur.

"It seems that he has become energyless from the kind of boring, meaningless speeches he is giving and the things he is doing. Nitish Kumar is tired now and he is no longer able to manage Bihar," Yadav said.

The comment drew sharp reactions from leaders of the ruling coalition who termed it 'meaningless'.

Janata Dal-United state president Basistha Narayan Singh said, "Kumar is more energetic than many youths. He works for 14-15 hours a day, which many youngsters will not be able to do... The tired comment is bereft of any logic."

State minister Sanjay Kumar Jha hit back at Yadav, saying the chief minister is at least not a 'class 9 fail like him'.

"He is just making meaningless comments," Jha said.

Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey too derided the comment, saying that National Democratic Alliance leaders always work with energy for the development of the state and the country.

Reacting to a similar comment by Yadav, the chief minister recently said, "He says I am tired, let him first answer where was he when coronavirus hit Bihar."

Yadav was missing from the scene as coronavirus struck the state in March. He returned to Patna after nearly two months in mid-May from Delhi.