RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and key challenger to Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, held a press conference on Wednesday to announce a major electoral promise: Jeevika Didis, who work as community mobilisers, will be made permanent government employees with a monthly salary of Rs 30,000. However, he avoided making any formal announcement regarding the structure of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, saying it was now time to campaign for the polls.”Nomination filing is over and now the time for campaigning has come. This time, the people of Bihar have made up their minds for change. The people of Bihar are fed up with the current double-engine government. In this double-engine government, corruption and crime have increased. People are fed up with unemployment and migration. The current government copied the announcements we made earlier to the people,” he said.Tejashwi Yadav is scheduled to meet Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot in Patna to resolve seat-sharing issues among allies. Following that, the Mahagathbandhan is expected to hold another press conference on Thursday.Clarifying his poll agenda, Tejashwi said that Jeevika Didis would be made permanent employees once the Mahagathbandhan forms the government in Bihar. He also assured that their salary would be increased to Rs 30,000 per month. Criticising the current government’s initiative, he labelled the Rs 10,000 under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana as a “bribe.””They distributed Rs 10,000 under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana for the women of Bihar, which is a bribe. This is a loan, Amit Shah himself said it. This means that they will recover this money. Today, we are going to make another historic announcement,” Tejashwi said.”All of you are aware that injustice has been done to the Jeevika Didis under this government. We have decided that all the Jeevika CM (Community Mobilisers) Didis will be made permanent and will be given the status of government employees. We will also increase their salary to Rs 30,000 per month. This is not an ordinary announcement. This has been the demand of Jeevika Didis for years,” he added.He further promised that the future Mahagathbandhan government would waive interest on loans taken by Jeevika Didis and provide interest-free credit for the next two years.”Any work that happens in villages or cities is not possible without Jeevika Didis. However, they don’t get anything. This is why it is our responsibility since this government doesn’t cater to them. The suffering of people doesn’t affect the corrupt officials and government,” Tejashwi said.The Bihar leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha also stated that Jeevika Didis would receive an additional allowance of Rs 2,000 and insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh for all their cadres.”Once we form our government, Jeevika Didis will be made permanent and a salary of Rs 30,000 per month will be awarded to them. The interest on the loans taken by Jeevika Didis will be waived off. For the next two years, Jeevika Didis will be given interest-free credit. Jeevika Didis will also be given an additional Rs 2,000 allowance. All cadres of Jeevika Didis will get insurance worth Rs 5 lakh,” he said.Tejashwi reiterated that people in Bihar were “fed up” with the Nitish Kumar-led double-engine government due to corruption, migration, unemployment, and rising crime, and that they had made up their minds for change.The 2025 Bihar elections will see a contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, includes the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).Additionally, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has staked claims on all 243 seats in the state.The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14. Go to Source