Tejashwi Yadav seeks national disaster tag for Bihar floods, calls Centre indifferent

Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday accused both the State and Union governments of failing to treat the recent floods with urgency, saying Bihar was being regarded as a "stepchild".

Mr. Yadav, who is the Rashtriya Janata Dal's National Working President, said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking that the floods be declared a national disaster, along with compensation and a special economic package for affected families. He said the Central government had so far shown no seriousness on the matter.

He added that he had also written to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary without response, and alleged that the "double-engine" government in the State was not serious about relief, claiming both engines had caught fire and were preventing people from receiving aid.

Citing the scale of the disaster, Mr. Yadav said more than 48 lakh people had been affected. The Bihar Disaster Management Department puts the figure at over 48.35 lakh people across 87 blocks in 15 districts.

The RJD leader said that despite eight NDA Ministers and 30 Lok Sabha MPs from Bihar, the State's people had been left to cope on their own. He alleged that the State government withdrew ₹4,000 crore from the Contingency Fund in July and spent it on salaries and administrative expenses, leaving the treasury empty, and said Central ministers from Bihar lacked the influence to secure assistance.

Drawing a comparison with the 2008 Kosi floods, Mr. Yadav said his father and then Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad had secured a special package for Bihar, and that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had visited the State to provide relief funds. He contrasted that with what he described as the Modi government's attitude towards Bihar, and claimed that in Gujarat relief camps and assistance are arranged promptly even after modest rainfall.

Mr. Yadav further alleged that BJP and Central leaders ignore Bihar during disasters but visit the State to seek votes when elections approach. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken of making Bihar flood-free during election season, but had not issued even a single statement while more than 47 lakh people remained trapped.

Recounting his visit to affected areas, Mr. Yadav said the boat provided to him by the State Disaster Response Force began to deflate mid-river and villagers had to rescue him. He said that as Leader of the Opposition he had assessed the situation and demanded aid and financial assistance for the victims.