“I’m ready to apologize if I have hurt anyone,” says Tejashwi Yadav

Tejashwi Yadav stirred debate in Bihar Assembly over voter list revisions, demanding safeguards for citizens’ voting rights while questioning the government’s approach and readiness to apologize if his past actions caused hurt.

Patna: During the discussion on the Special Revision (SIR) of the Voter List in the Bihar Assembly, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav put forth his point in detail and raised many serious questions on the government.

He said that if he has made any mistake in the last five years that has hurt anyone, then he is ready to apologize. He made this statement in response to criticism of his political behavior in the Assembly.

Cites Support of the Ruling and its Alliance Parties

Tejashwi cited an MP of Janata Dal United (JDU) during this debate and said that that MP is also raising similar issues, which shows that this is a matter of concern not only within the opposition but also within the ruling party.

Along with this, he also mentioned Chandrababu Naidu, the head of the Central Government's ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and said that he has also expressed his opinion in favor of the opposition on this subject.

Tejashwi sought an assurance from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that the name of any Bihari citizen should not be removed from the voter list in the name of SIR.

Raises Questions on EIC and PM Modi

He also said that the decision of being an outsider or foreigner is not the Election Commission's matter, but the Home Ministry's matter.

He said that the word "foreigner" has not been used anywhere in the Election Commission's report. He also questioned that when the government talks about "infiltrators," it is indirectly accepting its own failures, because Narendra Modi's government has been in power at the Center for the last 11 years and Nitish Kumar's government in Bihar for 20 years.

Tejashwi also questioned the time limit of SIR and said that when the caste census was opposed, saying that the survey could not be done in such a short time, then why are questions not being raised on this process now?

He said that many people do not have the necessary 11 documents, which are being demanded in this process. Finally, he said that voters are the ones who elect public representatives, and if they are being questioned, then it is a matter of serious concern for democracy. In such a situation, leaders should give priority to the interests of their "masters," i.e., the public.