Key Points

Speaking to IANS, Awadhesh Prasad said: "I agree with whatever Akhilesh Yadav is saying. The condition of Uttar Pradesh has worsened. The reason is that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has lost his credibility. The state is no longer under his control."

He further criticised the BJP's governance model, alleging that it has only increased public suffering.

"Today, there is a double-engine government -- one at the Centre under PM (Narendra) Modi ji's leadership, and another in states like Uttar Pradesh. Wherever they are in power, people's problems have only increased. The country is facing large-scale unemployment. Our youth, despite holding advanced degrees, are struggling, and there are even reports of suicides. A nation's real wealth isn't its gold or silver, but its citizens. Government jobs are disappearing, and privatisation is on the rise. This means neither reservation nor government employment will be available. This is all part of the RSS ideology," he added.

Commenting on HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi's recent dissatisfaction over NDA seat-sharing in Bihar, Prasad said: "The people and voters of Bihar have firmly decided to remove the BJP government. As for the internal issues within the NDA, we don't interfere -- that's their matter. But one thing is clear: the public has made up its mind. Bihar's politics will make history, and the process of removing the BJP government will begin there."

Earlier in the day, Manjhi said that he is satisfied with the NDA's seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, even though his party received far fewer seats than it had demanded.

Drawing a comparison to his experience during the Lok Sabha elections, Manjhi remarked that he is "used to being deprived of things".

The statement comes a day after the ruling NDA, which includes the HAM, announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

Under the agreement, HAM was allotted six seats, significantly fewer than what Manjhi had sought.

Initially, Manjhi had demanded 40 seats for the 2025 elections, but later scaled down his request to 15. However, the alliance eventually allocated only six seats to his party.

Speaking to IANS, Manjhi said, "In the parliamentary elections, we were told that we would get two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but we got only one. Now, we had said a minimum of eight seats was needed for recognition as a registered party. But one cannot be sure that if they get eight seats, they will win all. Therefore, we requested at least 15 seats, but they allotted only six. Even so, we are satisfied."

- IANS