Patna, Jan 13 (IANS) The political discourse in Bihar has intensified after Leader of Opposition (LoP), Tejashwi Yadav brought up the issue of “DK Tax”, with the JD-U’s chief spokesperson using social media to draw attention to what he alleges were various forms of “taxes” during the Lalu-Rabri regime.
He accused the Opposition of institutionalising corruption and extortion during their tenure.
In his post, Neeraj Kumar coined acronyms to describe these alleged practices such as DT: Dabangai Tax (Tax of coercion), KT: Kidnapping Tax and RT: Extortion Tax.
Alongside these, he also mentioned ‘LT’, ‘TT’, ‘MT’, and ‘ST’, implying these were also forms of informal “taxation” imposed on the people during the RJD’s rule.
He further stated: “If you try to guess, you will understand the meaning. DT, AT, RT, LT, TT, MT, and ST tax — some people imposed their tax on everything. The people of Bihar are knowledgeable, they know everything.”
Neeraj Kumar’s statements are a direct attempt to turn the tables on Tejashwi Yadav by shifting the narrative towards the alleged malpractices and strong-arm tactics of the RJD’s earlier governance.
The mention of these “taxes” is symbolic of the lawlessness and extortion claims often associated with the Lalu-Rabri era.
With the state Assembly elections approaching, such exchanges signal an increasingly aggressive battle for public perception.
Tejashwi Yadav recently accused the Bihar government of being run by retired officers, indirectly pointing fingers at individuals close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He alleged that these officers were facilitating corruption, referring to it as “DK tax,” without explicitly naming anyone.
This follows a pattern, as earlier when RCP Singh was in JD-U, Tejashwi coined the term “RCP tax”. However, RJD leaders avoided directly connecting the term to Singh at that time.
Ashok Choudhary, the Rural Works Department Minister added fuel to the fire by introducing terms like “Mama Tax” and “Sala Tax”, mocking the Opposition and implying corruption during the RJD’s tenure.
Leaders like Neeraj Kumar and Ashok Choudhary have been actively targeting Tejashwi and the RJD by reminding people of the alleged corruption and misgovernance during the Lalu-Rabri regime.
–IANS
ajk/rad