BJP resents Lalu 'interference' in govt work

BJP today refused to accept Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's view that RJD president Lalu Prasad being ex-CM and leader of ruling coalition could telephone directly to District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police and direct them for work.
"We also telephone DMs and SPs and request them to redress grievance of a needy person. But in the case of Lalu Prasad, it's not the case. He is interfering in the running of the coalition government and directing officials whom to arrest and whom to release," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Lalu is called "Super Chief Minister" because of this interference, Modi told reporters after his Janata Darbar.

By defending Prasad's activities, "Kumar has given a message to officials not to take telephonic instruction from the RJD chief lightly."
Kumar had said that being an ex-CM and leader of ruling coalition, Prasad could instruct officials over phone and mentioned that BJP leaders too instruct officials in the same way.
Prasad had been invited to on Sunday to commence the construction work of a six-lane bridge over the Ganga from Kachchi Dargarh to Bidupur in Raghopur Assembly constituency of his son Tejaswi Yadav.

On this, Modi said, besides this function of starting work of a bridge, Prasad had visited Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital and instructed doctors and attended a function of Homoeopathy doctors in place of his Health Minister son Tej Pratap Yadav.

"Whatever Nitish Kumar says, its a well known fact that there are two power centres in Bihar - one is CM and the other is Lalu Prasad," Modi, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, said.
"More people assemble in Lalu Prasad's darbar for work than CM Nitish Kumar," he said seeking to drive a wedge in the ruling alliance.
Modi, who was Deputy CM during NDA rule, said Prasad has the experience of running a government by proxy during rule of his wife Rabri Devi from 1997 to 2005.
This is like the UPA government at the Centre where Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister but power was vested with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Modi said.

He said Kumar should declare Lalu Prasad as chairman of coordination committee of the ruling alliance to give an official status to Prasad akin to that given to Prashant Kishor as advisor to CM.