Amid suspense over alliance, Lalu hits campaign trail

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.