RJD vs RJD and BJP’s ‘Nalayak’ Dig Over INDIA Bloc’s ‘Jan Nayak’ Title for Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav

The Congress party’s reference to Rahul Gandhi as “Jan Nayak” (people’s leader) has sparked a fresh political controversy, drawing sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even creating ripples within its INDIA bloc ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

On Monday, Congress shared a post on X featuring Rahul Gandhi with the caption “Jan Nayak.” The title, historically associated with socialist icon and former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, immediately invited backlash from the BJP, which accused the party of appropriating a revered legacy.

BJP Slams Congress and RJD

BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok lashed out at Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying neither of them were “layak” (capable) of being called “Jan Nayak.”

“Both of them are neither ‘layak’ nor ‘jan nayak’; they are just ‘naalayak’… Rahul Gandhi is the ‘jan nayak’ of Naxals, anti-Indians, and Pakistanis,” Alok said.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said such titles are “earned through service, not bestowed by party loyalists.”

“We also gave the title of ‘Loknayak’ to Jayaprakash Narayan. This title is earned through work, not through the Darbaris (courtiers) of the court,” Prasad said.

Union minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi echoed the sentiment, asserting that the “Jan Nayak” title must come from the people, not political self-promotion.

RJD Leaders Divided Over Tejashwi as ‘Jan Nayak’

Adding to the controversy, posters of Tejashwi Yadav calling him “Bihar ka Nayak” (Hero of Bihar) surfaced across the state, prompting dissent even within the RJD.

RJD national general secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui said,

“It will take Tejashwi time to become a ‘Jan Nayak’.”

Manjhi also criticised the move, saying it insulted Karpoori Thakur’s legacy:

“If Tejashwi is called ‘Jan Nayak’, it demeans the title. What has he done for the state?”

Tejashwi’s brother Tej Pratap Yadav further fuelled the internal rift, remarking that Tejashwi cannot be called a “Jan Nayak” yet.

“His power and influence come from our father. The day he truly becomes one, we’ll be the first to call him that,” he said in a video shared by PTI.

Political Backdrop

The “Jan Nayak” row comes just days before the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting on November 14.

With the BJP accusing the Congress of “political branding” and cracks showing within the RJD over leadership claims, the controversy has added a new dimension to Bihar’s high-stakes electoral battle.