PATNA, Sept. 17 -- Leader of the Opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday kicked off his "Bihar Adkhikar Yatra" seeking support from people to dislodge chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the forthcoming elections and alleging that BJP had "hijacked" the CM, who has been dancing to the tunes of the central government. Thus, he accused, the state government of CM Nitish Kumar is being run as "proxy" of the Centre. "The BJP has 'hijacked' CM Kumar, who has lost much of his grip on governance. The Bihar government is being run from the Centre by 'proxy'. We will not allow the state to be run by Gujarati," said Yadav, in an oblique swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, who both hail from Gujarat. Earlier, the RJD had raised the issue of how a BJP leader Bhikubhai Dalsaniya had become a voter in Bihar, calling it another example of how BJP leaders from Gujarat were getting dominant in state politics, in an apparent bid to raise the bogey of sub-regionalism. "Our yatra is for the development of Bihar and to make the environment conducive in the state to attract investment, industry and overall growth. We will be covering those districts which were left uncovered during the Voter Adhikar Yatra," Yadav said, before kicking off the yatra in Patna on Tuesday. Yadav's latest five-day tour of 10 districts mainly in central, south and north Bihar, including Khagaria Begusarai, Saharsa and Madhepura, coming just weeks after the conclusion of the statewide Voter Adkikar Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and many INDIA bloc leaders, is seen as a show of strength by the RJD to assert its position as a senior most constituent in the Opposition's Grand Alliance in Bihar and signal the Congress and left allies that the party still has big vote base and would not concede to the demands from allies to give large chunk of seats. The seat-sharing arrangement in GA is still being worked out with speculation being rife that the Congress and RJD have agreed to concede 10 and 14 seats from their quota to accommodate smaller allies. The Congress is expected to contest around 60 seats while RJD around 132 seats as against 2020 polls, when RJD had contested 144 seats and Congress,70 seats. But the deal is yet to be finalised as allies like VIP and left parties especially CPI-ML(liberation) have given a list of 60 and 40 seats respectively. "All allies have made their claims for seats. The seat-sharing arrangement will be done on the concept of 'winnability'. We are working on it. This time, our objective is to give seats to candidates who people want transcending caste and religion. Our objective is also to give representation to all sections and communities in seat sharing," Yadav said, while answering queries on the reports about certain challenges in the seat-sharing arrangement within the GA, while talking to a national Hindi news channel during the course of the yatra. During the course of yatra, Yadav today touched on burning issues in the state like unemployment, health, irrigation, migration, education, saying that ' his government, if it comes to power, would address all these issues to provide succour to the common people and marginalised sections'. "I promise that if our government comes to power, we will reduce the price of domestic gas cylinder from Rs.1,100 to Rs.500," amid loud applause from the crowd of supporters, mainly youths at Islampur in Nalanda. Yadav's road trip started off from Patna in the morning him travelling in the custom-made bus which he had used in previous yatras as well. His first halt was Jehanabad, where he addressed a big gathering from the rooftop of the bus. "This yatra is not my yatra. It is the yatra of all unemployed, migrant labourers and millions of our sisters and mothers who want better security and dignity in the state. Right now, crime in the state has skyrocketed and every day there is incidents of rape and murder. Isn't this" Mahajungle Raj"?" Yadav asked. The former deputy CM also talked of a face-off and alleged assault of a reporter from the Sahani community ( extremely backward classes) by urban development minister Jibesh Kumar Mishra and highlighted how he visited Darbhanga to get an FIR lodged against the minister. "I went to Darbhanga yesterday after getting the news.We got the FIR lodged. See how people from backward classes are being treated," Yadav said. The UDD minister has denied the charges. In his speeches, Yadav also stressed how during his stint as deputy chief minister during the 17-month-long GA government from August 22 to January 2024, he had been instrumental in giving five lakh jobs, giving recognition to another 4.5 lakh contractual staff the status of state government employee and also working tirelessly to improve health sector and other areas. "I have fulfilled my promises of giving jobs to youths. CM Kumar used to mock me when I had promised 10 lakh jobs during 2020 polls asking how funds would be generated for giving such big jobs. It was me, who did it and now the NDA government is copying all my promises by giving out doles," Yadav said. "CM Kumar once had snatched the platter from PM Modi . Now, he is touching his feet," Yadav said, alluding to how the JD(U) strongman had not attended an event in Patna before the 2014 polls and had snapped ties with the BJP to join the Grand Alliance in 2015 but later rejoined the NDA in 2017. Tejashwi on Tuesday also asserted that there is no confusion over who would be the CM face in the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in Bihar after the polls and claimed that "everything is sorted out". "There is no confusion or any dispute over who would be the CM face of the INDIA bloc in Bihar. Everything is sorted out," Yadav said, while talking to a national Hindi news channel during the course of the Bihar Adhikar Yatra today. Yadav was replying to queries as to how there is still a confusion over the CM face in the INDIA bloc with allies like VIP having said openly that a delay in declaration of the CM candidate of the bloc could have adverse impact in the forthcoming polls. In reply to another query, Yadav said that "there is still uncertainty on the CM face in the NDA because the ruling combine has not announced it". "Union home minister Amit Shah has said that only time will tell who will be the CM of Bihar. There is insecurity in the NDA," Yadav said....