War of words

As Assembly polls in Bihar draw near, the war of words has become more intense. And, the key players are drawing heavily from mythology, films, religion... you name it... to embellish their barbs. Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad, for instance, described Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah as a "narbhakshi" (man-eater) while Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi called Shah a "jallad" (executioner). On his part, Shah called Lalu a "chara chor" (fodder thief) at a rally in Begusarai. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the BJP stood for "Barka Jhootha Party" and called former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi "Vibhishan", the brother of Ravan, who switched over to the side of his opponent, Ram, in the epic, Ramayana. Not to be left behind, BJP MP Ashwini Choubey called Congress President Sonia Gandhi "Putana", the female devil who tried to kill Krishna.