RJD criticized Devesh Chandra Thakur’s remark and reminded him that he was about to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution with sincere faith.
PATNA: When he stated that he would not consider aid requests from members of the Muslim and Yadav communities since they did not support him in the Sitamarhi Lok Sabha election, Janata Dal-United MP Devesh Chandra Thakur sparked a heated debate.
Thakur claimed he had always assisted members of the two groups after defeating Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Arjun Rai by a margin of 51,000 votes in the Sitamarhi seat. However, Thakur said that the two communities did not support him in the election because of the party’s affiliation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Thakur declared that he was sticking to his guns. “If Yadavs and Muslims abstained from voting for the JD-U’s poll emblem, the Arrow, simply because our sign featured Narendra Modi’s face, then… When someone from one of these communities approaches me, I can also see the RJD insignia, the Lantern, and the visage of Lalu Prasad. Two people need to clap.
Thakur clarified that the scope of his remarks was restricted to requests for individual assistance, such as making a request for medical attention at AIIMS or contacting the police. “They are welcome for any work pertaining to society as a whole, but not for any personal work,” he continued.
During his tour of the area, Thakur said he had been emphasizing in his remarks his gratitude to the voters for their election. Despite winning, Thakur is unhappy about a decline in both his percentage of the vote and total number of votes.
With 515,719 votes (47.14% of the total vote), Thakur defeated Arjun Rai of the RJD by a margin of 51,000.
On the other hand, Sunil Kumar Pintu of the JD-U, who was the last to win the Sitamarhi seat, defeated Arjun Rai by a margin of 250,000 votes in 2019 with 567,745 votes (54.65% vote share).
Though he was dissatisfied, Thakur, a politician who had previously served as the chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council, portrayed himself as acting above caste and creed. “As I have openly stated, some people will do the same but not say so, as I found during an analysis of the decline in the victory margin,” he continued.
“It stings because I have been involved in politics for more than thirty years and I believe that I have always supported Muslims and Yadavs. I’ve learned a lesson from it, and I think others should too,” he continued.
The RJD retaliated, claiming that given Thakur’s status, the comments were inappropriate. “That was not the right thing for him to say. After the election, he will serve as each constituency’s MP. RJD spokesperson Rishi Mishra stated, “He should not distance himself from any caste or creed.”
Mrityunjay Tiwari, the head of the RJD, stated that Thakur’s remarks would go against the pledge he would have to take as a member of the Lok Sabha, which is to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution. “He should retract his remarks as they were inappropriate,” he continued.
Congressman Sudhir Kaundilya expressed concern over it.
Leaders of the JD-U and BJP backed Thakur’s comments, arguing that they expressed his anguish and that they shouldn’t be interpreted as a political ploy.
“Due to the slim margin and his expectations from the work he and his party completed, he has expressed his worries to his people. However, that is now in the past. After winning, he will now focus on growing his constituency, according to BJP spokesman Kuntal Krishna.