Apparently unhappy with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s remarks on the allegations of corruption against his family, RJD chief Lalu Prasad took to Twitter to take a jibe at the BJP’s “new alliance partners”. Nitish had on Monday broken his silence on the BJP’s allegations of corruption against Lalu’s family. The CM had said that if anyone had proof of benami property, they should move court. “These are company matters and Bihar government had no role to play… company affairs department under the Centre can look into it,” he said.
Soon after, Deputy CM and Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav made his displeasure felt. Taking a jibe at the media, he said it had no guts to ask questions to BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who had been accused of graft by the RJD.
Lalu learnt about Nitish’s remarks from an aide, and was reportedly upset at the CM “giving ideas to the Centre”. The tension intensified on Tuesday, with reports of Income Tax searches at premises in New Delhi and Haryana allegedly linked to Lalu.
At 1.56 pm on Tuesday, Lalu tweeted, “BJP ko naye alliance partners mubarak ho. Lalu Prasad jhukne aur darne wala nahi hai. Jab tak aakhri saans hai fasiwadi takton se ladta rahunga (Congratulations to the BJP for its new alliance partners. Lalu Prasad is not one to bend or be cowed down. As long as I am alive, I will keep fighting fascist forces).”
BJP को नए Alliance partners मुबारक हों। लालू प्रसाद झुकने और डरने वाला नहीं है।जबतक आख़िरी साँस है फासीवादी ताक़तों के ख़िलाफ़ लड़ता रहूँगा।
— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) May 16, 2017
The tweet sent Bihar political circles into a tizzy. However, 40 minutes later, Lalu tweeted, “Jyada laar mat tapkao. Gathbandhan atut hai… (do not salivate. This alliance is unbreakable…).”
ज़्यादा लार मत टपकाओ।गठबंधन अटूट है।अभी तो समान विचारधारा के और दलो को साथ जोड़ना है।मै BJP के सरकारी तंत्र और सरकारी सहयोगियो से नही डरता https://t.co/eh9hUexU0t
— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) May 16, 2017
A day later, he tweeted, “Gareebon ke jakhmon par marham laga unhe jeevan diya isliye badnam hu…Warna, hakim bahut bada hai bazaar mein ameeron ke ilaaz khaatir (I am infamous because I healed the wounds and gave life to the poor… Otherwise there are scores of doctors to treat the rich).”
गरीबो के जख्मो पर मरहम लगा उन्हें जीवन दिया इसलिए बदनाम हूँ।
वरना, हकीम बहुत बड़ा है बाजार मे अमीरो के इलाज़ ख़ातिर..।। pic.twitter.com/ybFINtEc8r— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) May 17, 2017
A senior RJD leader said, “Laluji wanted to send a strong message to Nitish not to take him for granted. His tweet was a deliberate move.”
The RJD later tried to play down Lalu’s remark on “new alliance partners”. RJD national spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha said it only meant “central agencies doing a witch hunt”, while Lalu affirmed Jha’s explanation. However, RJD insiders said it was Lalu’s way of sending a strong message to Nitish.
JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said, “The two parties can differ on certain matters, but our common idea is to only strengthen the grand alliance.” Asked about Nitish’s remarks on taking action, Tyagi said: “The CM only said taking action was not in the state government’s domain.”
