Tejashwi slams Bihar government over flood relief, says money wasted by lighting lamps for PM’s birthday

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses a press conference at his official residence, in Patna, Bihar, on September 20, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI Bihar Opposition Leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday (September 20, 2026) called Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin “rubber stamps” and criticised the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over flood relief efforts and the money spent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday celebrations.Mr. Yadav, who is also the national working president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), said Mr. Nabin, who is from Bihar, could not even get the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to visit the flood-affected State. He said the decision by several NDA leaders, including Mr. Choudhary and Mr. Nabin, to donate their monthly salary towards flood relief efforts was just “drama to divert attention”.“Have the PM and Amit Shah donated their salaries? How much money did all the NDA MLAs and MPs donate? Not more than ₹3 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. More than this, the NDA leaders wasted public money by lighting diyas on the birthday of PM Modi. The Bihar CM and Nitin Nabin are just rubber stamps of PM Modi,” Mr. Yadav told the press at his official residence in Patna.He termed the lighting of lamps as being akin to rubbing salt on the wounds of flood victims, and asked whether NDA leaders’ contribution of “₹2-3 crore” was sufficient for “50 lakh people affected by the flood”.Also Read | Floods hit 49 lakh people in 15 Bihar districts as rivers keep swellingDrought woesMr. Yadav pointed out that over the past 28 days, Bihar has been grappling not only with flood, but also drought.“The State has received less than 35% of normal rainfall. Due to the severe drought, crops across lakhs of hectares of land are being destroyed. Lakhs of farmers are unable to even recover their input costs. The government has not yet even assessed the drought situation. Farmers are facing a livelihood crisis,” the Leader of Opposition said.He claimed that a handful of community kitchens and relief camps were set up as a token gesture and that they were now shut due to a lack of funds.“This shameless government has closed the relief camps. Where are these flood victims supposed to go in such circumstances? Flood victims are being asked for Aadhaar cards and other essential documents, preventing relief aid from reaching them effectively,” he claimed.Also Read | Bihar CM donates one month’s salary to flood victimsContingency fundHe argued that disaster victims have the first right to Bihar’s treasury.Speaking of when the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government was in power in 2015 and 2022, when the portfolios for Disaster Management and Finance were held by the RJD, he said, “At that time, we had ensured a provision in the budget allowing 4% of the State’s total budget to be utilised as a contingency fund during times of flood, drought, natural disasters, and crises.”“Now — calculate based on the budget — how much should Bihar’s contingency fund amount to? Where did that money go? Contingency funds were withdrawn in Bihar as early as June, and now there is a shortage of funds for flood victims," he said.He added that crops, including paddy, maize, vegetables, and bananas, planted across approximately 1.5 lakh hectares, have been destroyed due to the flood, and farmers have not yet received any compensation for the damaged crops.Mr. Yadav also asked why Bihar was not assisted through the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. “The number of people affected by floods in Bihar exceeds the total combined population of several other States, including Goa and Arunachal Pradesh. Yet, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister show no concern for Bihar. Is this not discrimination against Bihar? It is a matter of shame for Bihar,” he said.He also demanded that the State government immediately provide ₹15,000 in financial aid to flood victims and conduct a survey of farmers affected by drought as well. Published - September 20, 2026 07:36 pm IST