Amid suspense over alliance, Lalu hits campaign trail

Bs_logoImage
Press Trust of India Nawada/Patna
Last Updated : Mar 03 2014 | 7:03 PM IST
As the issue of alliance with Congress lingered, RJD President Lalu Prasad today hit the poll campaign of his party for the general elections and gave a clarion call to defeat the "communal" forces.
At a rally near 'Lalu More', a crossing named after him, in Rajauli in Nawada, Prasad asked the poor, backward, dalits and minority people to unite against the "communal forces" to save the country.
Prasad did not make any comment on the tie up with Congress. However, while starting for the rally from Patna, he told reporters: "Let Congress do whatever it wants on alliance. I am starting campaign for my party."
The RJD chief, who has been waiting for response from the Congress, launched a scathing attack at BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who is in Bihar today to address a rally at Muzaffarpur.
"It is this person on whom former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said he was ashamed of him. It is the same person to whom the US did not give visa. And today he wants to become the prime minister. Seeds of communalism are being sown all around by him," he said at the rally.
The RJD president also did not spare his bete noire, state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Alleging that Kumar's government has failed on all fronts, Prasad said people were suffering under his rule and they had a long list of complaints against him.
"Corruption and bribery are rampant in Nitish Kumar's rule. Police station, block and district level offices are plagued with corruption," he said.
In an effort win the support of the masses, he sought "forgiveness" from the people "if my party leaders had ever done anything against you" and assured them that such things would not be repeated.
Seeking to puncture Modi's claim of selling tea in childhood, Prasad said actually it was he who had sold tea in childhood to sustain studies.
The rally is the first in the series of meetings in various parts of the state to be addressed by Prasad.
Earlier, he unveiled a bust of socialist leader Jagdeo Prasad at Targir village in the district.
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories

  • Over 30 subscriber-only stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 03 2014 | 7:03 PM IST