Tejashwi blames Himanta for ending 2-hour Jumma break in Assam Assembly

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for ending the two-hour break for Jumma prayers in the Assam Assembly, accusing him of seeking "cheap popularity" to remain in the spotlight.

Yadav compared Sarma to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, remarking, "While Yogi uses bulldozers, Himanta stops namaz. This country belongs to everyone, and there should be peace, but these leaders are only spreading hatred."

Sarma responded saying, "Our work will not be hindered by the comments of others. Our mission is to keep moving forward." BJP termed Yadav's statement as 'racist'.

Yadav also slammed Modi-led NDA government for not conducting caste census. He issued a direct challenge to Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar asking him to clarify their stance on reservations in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

This comes amid state-wide sit-in protests by the RJD, demanding a nationwide caste census and the inclusion of Bihar's proposed 65 percent reservation increase in the Ninth Schedule, which protects certain laws from judicial review.

"We challenge JD(U) leaders to declare whether they support putting reservation in the Ninth Schedule or not," Yadav stated. He emphasised the importance of this inclusion, which would secure the reservation policy against legal challenges.

"We will force prime minister Narendra Modi to conduct caste census and we will ensure that it is done," he vowed.

Criticising the BJP for opposing the caste survey, Yadav accused the party of perpetuating social inequality.

"The BJP wants the son of a garbage collector to clean drains for life. They believe those born into poverty should remain beggars forever. This is the BJP's mentality," he charged.

"Lalu Yadav and Tejaswi did not create caste. Who created caste?...We have only one belief, find out what the condition of people today is, irrespective of their caste. Also find out which caste has the most poverty? And then get that caste out of poverty. Poverty is our biggest enemy," added Yadav.

He further noted that great leaders championed reservations to uplift Dalits, tribals, and other marginalised communities, highlighting that the discrimination persists even today.

Taking aim at the BJP's ally, JD(U), accusing them of celebrating when Bihar was denied special status. "If they are in power, it's their responsibility to fight for Bihar. Instead, JD(U) leaders applauded when Bihar was denied special state status. Why shouldn't Bihar receive this status?" he questioned.

The former deputy chief minister of Bihar has been vocal about the need for a caste census and stronger legal protections for reservation policies.