Patna: Facing criticism for his absence RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday resurfaced on Twitter and explained that he has been away from politics as he was undergoing treatment for ligament and ACL injury. In a tweet, he took a dig at his opponents and also blamed media for “cooking up spicy stories” about his absence.

“Friends! For the last few weeks, I was busy undergoing treatment for my long-delayed ligament and ACL injury. However, I am amused to see political opponents as well as a section of media cooking up spicy stories”, the RJD leader said in a tweet. Mr Yadav has been missing from public life since the Lok Sabha poll results were declared on May 23. Sources claim that his absence from public life for a month triggered surprise and confusion in the grand alliance, especially Congress expected him to be in Bihar at the time when families were losing their children due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome  and brain fever. However, Tejashwi, in his tweet, tried to clarify that he has been “constantly following the untimely loss of hundreds of poor kids due to AES”.

In this tragic moment asked party workers, leaders to visit affected families without getting into Photo- op and MPs to raise it in Parliament and that’s why PM responded. My Dear Bihar! I am very much here”.

Recently, posters declaring Tejashwi Yadav as “missing” were also put up in Muzaffarpur where more than 120 children have died due to encephalitis since June 1. Protesters had announced a reward of Rs. 5100 with a note that he has been missing since the Lok Sabha poll results were declared.

On Friday as the monsoon session began the opposition parties especially Congress and left staged a protest outside the state assembly and demanded the resignation of health minister Mangal Pandey on moral grounds.

“We are accountable to people who look for a socialist and social justice alternative in us and wish to assure that we are very much here and the fight is on. Recent developments helped me study, scrutinise, analyse and appraise the things in a different way”, Tejashwi Yadav tweeted.