EXCLUSIVE | Gandhi family is India’s Gabbar Singh, Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary tells THE WEEK

Among the current breed of BJP leaders in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary stands the tallest. Quite literally as well—he is 6’4”. As deputy chief minister, Choudhary is the OBC face of the party in the state and is likely to lead the chief minister’s race when the BJP gets an opportunity to anoint its own.

His father Shakuni Choudhary was MLA six times, primarily from the RJD, with stints in the Congress and the Samata Party. His mother Parvati Devi was also an MLA. Choudhary, too, was with the RJD before joining the BJP in 2017. He served as BJP state chief and also as leader of opposition.

Though a member of the legislative council, he will be contesting from Tarapur, his family pocket borough.

When asked about BJP's focus in the upcoming election, he asserted, “Only development. Development and delivery. We have worked on it, delivered it and fulfilled people’s basic needs. That is our focus.”

He also spoke about how a double-engine government has helped increase Bihar's revenue. On the other hand, he dismissed Tejashwi Yadav's promise of a government job for every family as a blueprint to win elections.

Slamming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samrat told THE WEEK, "Rahul Gandhi should be asked: your grandmother ruled for 13 years, your father was prime minister, your great-grandfather ruled for 17 years, and your mother was the most powerful person for a decade. If the country is still poor, who is responsible? You. The Gandhi family is India’s Gabbar Singh; in Bihar, that title belongs to Lalu Prasad’s family."

Read Samrat Choudhary's full interview in the latest issue (November 9, 2025) of THE WEEK magazine.

With inputs from Pratul Sharma

India