No new cars, no feet touching, encourage Namaste or Adab: Tejashwi Yadav schools RJD ministers

For the courtesy meeting, the ministers have been asked to encourage to wish with folded hands only. They have been asked to promote the tradition of salutation, 'namaste' and 'adab' with folded hands for courtesy and greetings, reports Amit Bhelari

Patna: Amid controversies in the Bihar grand alliance government, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has issued instructions to the ministers of RJD about how to behave in the public domain.

Ever since Nitish Kumar formed the government with the RJD after dumping BJP, one after another controversies are erupting in the public domain bringing embarrassment to Nitish and his alliance partner. Now Tejashwi has issued a list of instructions to RJD ministers on how they are expected to behave while dealing with the public.

Some of the directives mandated that RJD ministers wouldn't buy a new car or any vehicle and would continue to use the existing ones. He also asked them not to allow any elder person, workers and well-wishers to touch their feet. For the courtesy meeting, the ministers should encourage to wish with folded hands only, no touching of feet. They have been asked to promote the tradition of salutation, 'namaste' and 'adab' with folded hands for courtesy and greetings.

"All the ministers of RJD quota must have gentle and courteous behaviour while speaking to anyone. The minister should behave with simplicity and help people of all castes and religions on a priority basis. Instead of accepting bouquets, the minister should encourage people for books and pens,” Tejashwi said in a press statement circulated among the media houses on Saturday afternoon.

Several RJD ministers have landed in controversies ever since the cabinet expansion took place on August 16 of this month. The name of agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh has cropped up in a rice scam. Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi has levelled charges against education minister Chandrasekhar for being fond of keeping bullets. Today a video of state cooperative minister Surendra Yadav has come into public domain in which he used expletives during a press briefing.

Sources in the RJD said that keeping all this in mind, Tejashwi had to come up with the list of instructions to avoid further embarrassment. Tejashwi has also instructed all the ministers to promote honesty, transparency, promptness and quick implementation in all departmental works under the leadership of the Chief Minister.

"All the ministers should continuously promote the work of the chief minister and department on social media so that the public can get positive information about every initiative of the government,” Tejashwi said.

Requesting anonymity, a senior leader of RJD told ETV Bharat, "The decision has been taken in the view of maintaining discipline and decorum in public. Somewhere a perception was being made that RJD leaders have gone out of control after coming into power. Our leader Tejashwi ji wants to break this perception so that a good message should go to the people of Bihar.”