PATNA: Addressing a public meeting after six years in Tarapur ahead of the bypoll, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday slammed the NDA Government at the Centre and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over unemployment and lack of development in the country and Bihar.
Mr. Prasad reached the venue as a large cheering crowd waited and said, “I got Lal Krishna Advani arrested and never compromised over communal forces”.
The RJD chief was addressing a public meeting for the first time since the 2015 Assembly poll.
“I missed two elections: 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 Assembly polls”, Mr. Prasad noted.
He is scheduled to address another public meeting in Kusheshwarsthan, Darbhanga.
Bypolls for the Tarapur and Kusheshwarsthan seats are scheduled to take place on October 30. The results will be announced on November 2.
Attacking the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Mr. Prasad said the Central government had been selling every public enterprise.
“No work has been done in Bihar also. Only unemployment is around”, said Mr. Prasad, amid loud cheers from the crowd comprising mostly young people.
Attacking Mr. Kumar, Mr. Prasad recalled, “Earlier, he used to say: mitti mein mil jayenge, lekin BJP ke saath nahi jayenge [I’ll prefer to die but not to go with the BJP] but what happened?”.
“He also said he would support only those who would accord special status to Bihar. Where is that special status for the State?” asked Mr. Prasad.
The RJD chief further appealed to people, “We all should fight for a caste-based census in the country”.
Taking a dig at the failure of prohibition in the State, Mr. Prasad said, “Only rodents drink liquor in Bihar”.
Earlier, while reacting to Mr. Prasad’s comment that he was here to ensure visarjan (immersion) of the BJP and the Chief Minister, Mr. Kumar said, “He can get me shot but he cannot do anything else”.
Referring to the remark, Mr. Prasad said, “He [Nitish Kumar] thought visarjan means I was going to kill him…I’m not going to kill you…you’ll die yourself,” as the crowd cheered.
Mr. Prasad, however, did not touch upon his party’s sour relations with the Congress. The Congress too has put up candidates for both seats, declaring “there is no mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar”.
In his eight-minute address, Mr. Prasad appealed to people to unite. “We all should unite to vote”, he said.