NEW DELHI: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday pledged to back Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister after the Lok Sabha elections. He also said the youth are determined to end the “old and rickety” or “khatara” NDA rule in Bihar.Sharing the stage with Rahul and other INDIA bloc leaders, Tejashwi hailed the Congress leader as the man “who has given sleepless nights to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”He also made a bold declaration, saying, “In the upcoming assembly polls, we shall root out the NDA, which has been running a government comparable to a rickety old car (‘khatara’) for the last 20 years. And, in the next Lok Sabha polls, we shall make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister.”Sporting a baseball cap, T-shirt, and a ‘gamcha’ around his neck, Tejashwi sought to portray a blend of tradition and modernity. “We have a vision for a new Bihar,” he said, addressing the gathering from atop an open vehicle alongside Rahul, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Vikassheel Insan Party president Mukesh Sahni, and state Congress chief Rajesh Kumar.Taking aim at chief minister Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi said, “The CM is not in his senses. He is not able to run Bihar. His government has become a copycat. I had promised free power, domicile policy, hike in social security pensions and setting up of a Youth Commission. The state government presented these as newly devised schemes. It has remained oblivious to the state’s crying need for better education, health, employment, irrigation facilities and accountability.“He further echoed ally Rahul Gandhi’s charge, accusing the BJP of “colluding with the Election Commission” to disenfranchise voters. “They have colluded with the Election Commission to deprive the people of Bihar of their right to vote,” Tejashwi alleged, claiming that names of living voters were being struck off the rolls under the special intensive revision (SIR).“The SIR is dacoity of votes and we will not allow that to happen. It’s a conspiracy of the ruling dispensation to disenfranchise voters in Bihar,” he said.Warning the BJP, Tejashwi added, “The BJP and the EC think they can take the people of Bihar for a ride. But, they need to know that in Bihar, we mix lime with khaini (raw tobacco) and swallow it without a fuss. We are Biharis. And as the saying goes, a Bihari can take on anybody.”The yatra will cover several districts, including Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnea, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra and Ara, before concluding with a rally in Patna on September 1.