Lalu hits back, terms Nitish ‘political turncoat’

Jitendra K Shrivastava

Tribune News Service

Patna, August 1

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday launched a verbal attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar terming him ‘palturam of politics’ (a political turncoat) as he kept on changing his team over zero tolerance.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Claiming himself senior to the Bihar CM, Lalu said Nitish was nowhere on the scene when he became general secretary of steering committee and Shivanand Rosario was its member. “I was so popular that I was allowed to go inside Patna Women's College,” Lalu claimed, adding that Nitish was not at all visible during students’ struggle in Patna University.

Lalu said he did not believe in Nitish, but it was Mulayam Singh Yadav who had asked him to consider Nitish as leader of grand alliance.

“How would you go to public,” Lalu asked the Bihar CM.

Recalling old days, Lalu said Jay Prakash Nayayan had given him ticket to contest Lok Sabha poll from Chhapra in 1977 and he won, while Nitish Kumar got defeated twice in assembly elections in 1977 and 1980 from Harnaut constituency.

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, RJD won four seats but JD-U could manage only two seats, he said.

“When Babri mosque was demolished, it was the demolition of Constitution of India even as LK Advani had claimed in 1991 that nothing would happen to the mosque,” the RJD chief said.

Lalu said Nitish who had made Jitan Ram Manjhi chief minister wanted him to be puppet but the latter declined.

“Nitish was a non-entity till 2015 but we fielded him as chief ministerial candidate,” said Lalu. “Senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav had given party ticket to Nitish. Now, Nitish has been exposed and it is proved beyond doubt that he was in collusion with BJP.”

Even if Tejaswi had stepped down, Nitish would have parted ways with grand alliance, the RJD chief said.

That Nitish Kumar was ready to join hands with BJP became imminent as he never consented for a photo for ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao rally’, scheduled for August 27, whenever asked for, Lalu said.

“Lodging of an FIR against my family does not mean we are involved in corruption,” Lalu said.

RJD has offered a senior JD-U leader to join the proposed August 27 rally and also made an offer to join the party, he added.