Key Points

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Varma said, "At present, Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition at the national level, and I believe that Congress was once a great party -- I say was -- because it has now shrunk. The idea of Congress is still relevant today, but under his leadership, the party has been continuously diminishing at the organisational level, and that is truly unfortunate."

Criticising Rahul Gandhi's political approach, the Jan Suraaj leader remarked, "He is a seasonal bird. The real issue is that the Congress party's organisational strength on the ground in Bihar has completely vanished. His ambitions are far greater than the party's current existence. Because of this, the Mahagathbandhan itself will suffer."

Targeting the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Varma alleged that it is a family-driven party.

He said, "All this talk about M-Y, meaning Muslim-Yadav unity, is just a facade. Tejashwi Yadav is the Chief Ministerial candidate only because he is Lalu Prasad Yadav's son. He neither truly cares for the Yadavs nor for the Muslims. His brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, whose mental stability has even been questioned, also became a Minister only because he is Lalu Yadav's son."

Clarifying Jan Suraaj's position ahead of the Bihar polls, Varma said, "We have made it clear that neither before nor after the elections will we form an alliance with any party. Jan Suraaj is the only party that has decided to field candidates on all 243 seats on its own."

Commenting on the recently announced NDA seat-sharing alliance, he said, "These alliances are driven by the greed for power. Somehow, they have managed to reach an agreement, but the people of Bihar can clearly see that this is a battle for power."

- IANS