Patna, July 8 (IANS) With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching, Nitish Kumar’s government has moved to undercut a major poll plank of the RJD by approving the formation of a Youth Commission in the state, a promise that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has been projecting as a key commitment to the youth.

During the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Nitish government cleared the proposal to constitute the Bihar Youth Commission, aimed at addressing youth-related concerns, providing skill training, and ensuring better employment opportunities for young people in the state.

The decision comes months after Tejashwi Yadav, during his Yuva Chaupal rally at Patna’s Miller High School Ground on March 5 this year, had promised to form a Youth Commission within one month of the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government, making it a central promise of his youth outreach campaign.

Reacting sharply to the cabinet’s decision, Tejashwi accused the NDA government of copying his promises to cover its lack of vision.

In a social media post, he wrote: “We are ahead, and behind us is the 20-year-old, boring, pretentious government. Whatever promise we make, this copycat NDA government immediately copies it because tired people have no vision, roadmap, or blueprint of their own.”

Tejashwi further added: “Like many of our promises, the announcement of forming a ‘Youth Commission’ was stolen by this copycat government today. We will keep waking up and shaking those who have been robbing the rights of the youth for 20 years. Now the country’s youngest state, Bihar, will get rid of this copycat and useless government.”

The Bihar Youth Commission will have a chairman, two vice-chairmen, and seven members (maximum age 45 years) and will work to advise the government on youth welfare, ensure local youth get priority in private jobs and coordinate with departments to improve education and employment prospects.

The approval is seen as a strategic move by Nitish Kumar to regain traction among Bihar’s large youth voter base, directly challenging Tejashwi’s narrative and neutralising the opposition’s campaign focus ahead of the 2025 elections.

--IANS

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