Tejashwi distributes blankets among homeless in Patna

The homeless in the Bihar capital were struck by the warmth, on a cold Tuesday night, exuded by Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav who sauntered among them, giving away blankets and enquiring about any other problems they faced.

Clad in casual jeans and jacket, the 33- year- old RJD leader got out of his car at night shelters put up in places like Bahadurpur and R-Block and admonished those who were sleeping on the roadside in spite of the facilities.

"They say they want to be close to their carts and stalls, which are their sources of living. What to do in such a situation," said Yadav, with a mix of vexation and fondness as he pulled out blankets from his vehicle asking the pavement dwellers to cover themselves well.

Inside the night shelters, make shift tents which provide the homeless with the semblance of a roof over their heads, Yadav inspected the CCTV cameras, the lightings and also told the dwellers that instructions were in place at the public lavatories nearby that nobody be charged for using the facility.

A young man told the RJD leader that he was in the city in search of a job to which the latter replied "yesterday our cabinet has approved 75,000 posts of the home department. Give it a try. You may be among the lucky ones."

Talking to reporters who had rushed to the spot upon learning about the midnight vigil by the young politician, Yadav said "in Patna, it is the BJP that wins all the assembly and parliamentary elections. Do you see any of their leaders out on the streets like this? We do not get the votes here. But to us, the people matter more."

The people seemed visibly moved.

"His papa (RJD president Lalu Prasad) was the man who had first set up these night shelters. After the change in regime, nobody took the trouble to enquire about our well-being. Now the son is in power and he shows the compassion which his father was known for. May Tejashwi Yadav shine," they could be heard saying.

Yadav returned as Deputy CM in August when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP and joined the Mahagathbandhan' helmed by the RJD.

Earlier, he has been seen conducting inspections of ghats along the Ganges ahead of the Chhath festivities. As the minister in-charge of health department, he had also conducted surprise checks at all government hospitals in the city, pulling up staff members who were found to be lax in discharge of their duties.