Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National Working President and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav launched a pointed attack on Janata Dal-United (JD-U) National Working President and Member of Parliament Sanjay Jha on Thursday, 20 August, as he departed Patna for Madhubani. Yadav alleged that leaders like Jha had 'entrapped' Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and were operating in close proximity to Home Minister Amit Shah.

Tejashwi's Broadside Against Sanjay Jha

The attack came in direct response to Jha's criticism of the previous day's Lok Bhavan march in Patna, which Tejashwi had led before being briefly detained by police and later released. Yadav dismissed Jha's remarks, advising him to first 'save his own position' within the JD-U, and alleging that there was considerable internal opposition to Jha inside the party. He further claimed that Jha and others like him had manipulated their proximity to Kumar to serve factional interests.

Custodial Death of Roshan Yadav in Madhubani

A central purpose of Tejashwi's journey to Madhubani was to meet the family of Roshan Yadav, a 19-year-old who died in jail in the district. The RJD leader alleged that the youth had been forcibly taken into police custody and claimed — without independent verification at the time of reporting — that Roshan had been assaulted and subjected to electric shocks while in detention. Tejashwi said he had already spoken with the family and intended to meet them in person and engage with concerned officials to seek justice. These are allegations made by Tejashwi Yadav and are yet to be independently verified or confirmed by authorities.

Bihar a 'Police State', Alleges RJD

Yadav accused the state government of transforming Bihar into a 'police state' under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, and warned that the RJD would resist any such trajectory. He also referenced a separate murder case in Hajipur, stating his intention to visit the victim's family as part of a broader tour of multiple locations across the state. He alleged that criminal activity was rising across Bihar and that the government had failed on the law-and-order front.

Student Protests and the Gardanibagh Agitation

When asked about the ongoing student protest at Patna's Gardanibagh, Tejashwi reiterated his support for the demonstrators, particularly those on hunger strike. He urged the Bihar government to take their demands seriously, warning that continued inaction risked intensifying the agitation. The previous day's Lok Bhavan march, which preceded these remarks, had centred on student issues including unemployment, examination irregularities, and the controversy over alleged AK-47 firing during a student protest in Siwan.

With the RJD stepping up pressure on multiple fronts — custodial death, student unrest, and law-and-order — the coming days will test whether the ruling coalition in Bihar can contain the political fallout ahead of the next electoral cycle.