BJP today reacted angrily to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's bid to revive "Mandal politics" and align with JD(U) after next year's assembly elections.
"RJD supremo's bid to revive Mandal politics and cobble together an alliance with JD(U) will be a non-starter," senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.
People of Bihar have made up their mind to give their verdict in favour of the BJP-led alliance in Assembly polls next year, he said exuding confidence that the RJD-JD(U) alliance, if it happened, would bite dust.
Modi also sought to downplay the "Mandal politics" as a threat to the BJP-led coalition's chances in Bihar saying times have changed over the past two and a half decades and people of Bihar now aspired for development which the BJP and its allies could deliver.
Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav too made light of the RJD supremo's hint to play out the "Mandal card" to consolidate the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) support base, saying the people of Bihar have made up their mind to reject "caste politics" and give a chance to the BJP-led alliance after the next assembly elections.
Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey too fired salvos at the RJD supremo for giving a veiled threat to revive the "Mandal politics".
Speaking at RJD's 18th foundation day celebrations in Vaishali district yesterday, Lalu had hinted about revival of the Mandal plank and alignment with the JD(U) for the Assembly polls next year to scuttle BJP's prospects.
Stating that the RJD and JD(U) together had polled 45 per cent votes in the general elections held earlier this year, Prasad had said this vote share of the two parties would be sufficient to defeat the BJP at the hustings in Bihar.
Describing the social combination arising out of the implementation of the Mandal Commission report in 1990 giving 27 per cent reservation in jobs to the OBCs as a "bomb", the RJD supremo supremo had asked his party workers to get ready to "re-ignite" that brand of politics.
