Nitish Kumar Announces Major Pension Hike Ahead of Bihar Polls; Tejashwi Calls PM Modi a ‘Pickpocket’ Amid Row

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced a substantial hike in monthly pensions under the Social Security Pension Scheme, calling it a step to ensure dignity for the elderly, disabled, and widowed women. The pension amount has been raised from ₹400 to ₹1,100 and will be credited from July 10 onward each month, benefiting over 1.09 crore people.

The move comes months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections and is seen as a major pre-poll push by the JD(U)-NDA alliance to consolidate support against the RJD-Congress opposition bloc.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Siwan for the fifth time this year, unveiling ₹5,200 crore worth of development projects. He praised Nitish Kumar for laying the groundwork for Bihar’s development, vowing to restore the state’s past glory.

Meanwhile, political tensions flared after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav launched a scathing attack on PM Modi, calling him a “pickpocket” and accusing the NDA of misusing public funds to gather crowds for rallies. “We neither want a pickpocket PM nor a CM who has lost his senses,” Yadav said, sparking outrage within the NDA.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary hit back, likening Yadav’s remarks to a Bollywood dialogue and pointing to his father Lalu Prasad Yadav’s conviction in the fodder scam. Several NDA leaders condemned the language used, accusing Tejashwi of degrading political discourse.