Bhojpuri Star Khesari Lal Yadav Defends Music Career While Campaigning for Bihar's Chhapra Seat

Khesari Lal Yadav, the renowned Bhojpuri actor-singer, is contesting from Bihar's Chhapra constituency as an electoral candidate.

Chhapra (Siwan): Shatrughan Kumar Yadav, commonly known as Khesari Lal Yadav, the celebrated Bhojpuri entertainment figure making his electoral debut in the Bihar election, has responded to political opponents criticizing the vulgar content in his musical portfolio. Speaking exclusively with NDTV, Yadav acknowledged that while some of his songs were indeed "mistakes," he emphasized that they were not responsible for infrastructure problems such as waterlogging or deficiencies in education and healthcare systems.

The 39-year-old performer, who is running for the Chhapra seat as a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate, revealed that entering politics was never part of his original career trajectory. "Contesting elections was never in my plans. Politics has never been a component of my life. Perhaps this is divine intention," he stated.

When questioned about his campaign experience, Yadav mentioned challenges arising from his celebrity status. "Door-to-door campaigning and receiving constituents' blessings has been difficult. The public enthusiasm creates traffic congestion and inconveniences people. I don't wish to cause such disruptions, which has limited my campaign coverage. However, I want to assure everyone that I haven't forgotten them. I'm fighting for Chhapra's interests and am prepared to protest anywhere, even outside the Prime Minister's residence, to advocate for its development."

Addressing opponents who are circulating clips from his music videos as political ammunition, Yadav responded, "As a musician, I'm not offended at all. There's nothing inherently wrong with music. I created those works for public entertainment without full awareness of implications. But music and development are separate matters. Chhapra isn't experiencing waterlogging because of my controversial songs. Has the education system deteriorated due to my songs? Are hospital conditions poor because of my musical content? These are entirely separate issues from my artistic work."

When asked if he regrets those controversial songs, Yadav acknowledged, "We all make mistakes in youth, even in our interactions with parents. It was indeed a mistake, but these political matters are entirely different concerns."

Yadav has committed not to contest future elections in Chhapra if he wins the current race but fails to fulfill his campaign promises.

Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he clarified that his opposition is ideological rather than personal. "If Modi uncle could facilitate numerous factories in Gujarat, why didn't he notice Bihar? It was Nitish uncle's responsibility to identify Bihar's problems," he remarked.

In the upcoming election, Yadav faces competition from BJP's Chhoti Kumari and Jan Suraaj Party's Jai Prakash Singh. Chhapra constituents will cast their votes in the first phase on November 6.