Lalu questions Modi''s silence on reservation policy

Patna, October 8

Stepping up the offensive against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, RJD president Lalu Prasad on Thursday asked him to break his silence over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement for reviewing the reservation policy and clarify whether he endorsed it or not.

"Why are you (Modi) silent on reservation policy? If you support Bhagwat's views, say so or else throw him out," Prasad told reporters here.

Prasad was flanked by state Congress president Ashok Choudhary and JD (U) MP and spokesman Pawan Varma at the press conference.

The RJD chief, who has been under attack from the NDA over his "Hindus too eat beef comment", raised the reservation issue seeking to put Modi on the defensive.

He also showed RSS patriach M S Golwalkar book "Bunch of Thoughts" to highlight the saffron ideological organisation's viewpoint against reservation in jobs.

  Terming Modi and the RSS chief as "anti-Dalit and anti- backward", Prasad showed a book "Karmayog' written by Modi in which he mentioned that Dalits happily used to carry night soil.

Prasad claimed that in the book, Modi said that Dalits were like a "mentally weak child who needs special care."               

On his beef comment, Prasad was evasive, saying these are nonsensical things as he worships and respects cow. —PTI