Tariq Anwar meets Lalu Yadav at Ranchi hospital

Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar and general secretary of NCP, DP Tripathi, on Saturday met RJD chief Lalu Prasad at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where the former Bihar chief minister has been undergoing medical treatment since September 2018.

Anwar said he had known Prasad for long, and had met the RJD leader to enquire about his health.

He said that there was still time left for filing nominations, and the party would select candidates in due course.

Anwar said that the seat from which he would contest the elections would be decided by the party high command.

Asking the BJP to avoid politicalising surgical strikes, he said that people of the country were well aware that the credit instead of being given to armed forces was being made a political issue.

“There would be a new coalition with new faces. I am hopeful about the election results being positive,” Anwar said.

Tripathi said that once people had decided to oust any candidate, even if he/she was a Prime Minister, there was no hope of victory for the candidate.

He said that Indira Gandhi faced a similar predicament in the 1977 elections.

About the new opposition coalition being without the face of a popular leader, Tripathi said the elections in 1977 and 2004 were also without a popular face.

“I have even said in the parliament that Narendra Modi did not deliver his promises. BJP has failed to win the by-assembly elections in the country. The election results will speak for themselves,” he said.

Tripathi said that Mohammad Shagur Ahmad would be the NCP candidate from Katihar in Bihar.

Former minister of Bihar, Ramai Ram also went to meet Prasad reportedly in connection with his candidature from Hajipur in Bihar, but returned shortly after entering the hospital.

Sources at RIMS said that Prasad did not meet him. However, Ram claimed that he had met the RJD leader.

First Published: Mar 17, 2019 02:58 IST