"Should PM use such language?" asks Tejashwi Yadav of Modi's mujra remark

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial 'mujra' remark about the INDIA bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav shot off an open letter to the prime minister, accusing him of insulting the people of Bihar and exposing a prejudiced mentality against backward classes and Dalits.

During an election rally in Bihar, Modi accused the INDIA bloc of engaging in 'slavery and mujra' by way of vote bank politics.

In his letter, addressing the prime minister as 'one worthy of respect (adaraniya)', Yadav called Modi out for his 'baseless, non-factual and false statements', and held that the prime minister's language was unbecoming of his office.

Posting the letter on his X account, Yadav invited the prime minister:

Highlighting the use of terms like 'mujra' and the fearmongering around Hindu women's mangalsutras as being particularly undignified ground for the leader of the nation to tread, Yadav — the former deputy chief minister of Bihar, now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly — called on Narendra Modi in his letter to reflect on whether such language is appropriate to his position.

'Today you came to Bihar and made as many baseless, non-factual and false statements as you could. We no longer even expect that you will maintain the dignity of your office in the register of your speeches. Yet today, you went from talking of buffaloes (bhains) and mangalsutras all the way to terms like 'mujra' and 'mangalsutra'.

'If I may be honest, we are worried about you.

'Please reflect on this and decide, is all I have to say,' Yadav wrote.

Yadav also accused the BJP and Modi of being ideologically opposed to figures like Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Birsa Munda, Kanshi Ram, Ram Manohar Lohia and the Mandal Commission.

'All Dalits/OBCs and tribals know that you and the BJP are staunch ideological enemies of Baba Saheb, Birsa Munda, the honourable Kanshi Ram, [Ram Manohar] Lohia-ji and the Mandal Commission,' he wrote.

Asking Modi to demonstrate his commitment to social justice through actions rather than words, Yadav in his letter attached a list of Muslim castes that were given reservation under the OBC category in Gujarat.

'Therefore, avoid the politics of spreading confusion and serving hatred,' he added.

Yadav further condemned Modi's 'anti-Dalit mentality', referencing Bihar's caste survey conducted by its state government. He noted that the survey led to an increase in reservation to 75 per cent, and the state repeatedly requested that this be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution—a request he claims Modi ignored.

Yadav also accused the PM of undermining the concept of reservation by reducing the number of government jobs, which are subject to constitutional reservation provisions, while letting available posts languish.

He called for the mandatory reservation policy to be extended to the private sector as well, to ensure the continued benefits of affirmative action.