Tejashwi Yadav under fire over absence from House

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's absence from the state Assembly on the first day of the monsoon session has triggered criticism from his rivals.

Taking a dig on his absence from the House on Friday, BJP MLA Nitin Navin said that "The members of this House should jointly register an FIR to trace Tejashwi Yadav".

Mr Yadav, who is also the leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, has been missing since the Lok Sabha results were declared on May 23. Sources claim that "his absence has not only triggered criticism from the ruling JD(U) and BJP but also led to a crisis in the grand alliance".

His silence on the issue of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) epidemic which has affected the lives of more than 600 children in Bihar has also raised many eyebrows in the political circle here. On Friday, as the monsoon session began, the Opposition parties especially Congress and the left staged a protest outside the state Assembly.

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 declared a reward of Rs. 5100 with a note that he has been missing since the Lok Sabha poll results were declared.

"These developments have embarrassed the entire party. His absence from the state for a longer period has created a crisis not only in the RJD but also in the grand alliance. There are several key issues which need to be raised during this session. The party is already on the back foot for not raising the AES issue," a senior RJD leader said.

When asked about her son's absence from the state Assembly, the former chief minister Rabri Devi reacted sharply and said that "Tejashwi Yadav is in your house". However, she later clarified that "He will return soon. He has been busy with some important work and not sitting idle".