Lalu vows to fight ‘fascist’ BJP as tweet hints at break up with Nitish
UNFAZED RJD chief’s mention of saffron party’s ‘new alliance partners’ sets tongues wagging
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday hinted at severing ties with chief minister Nitish Kumar but vowed to continue the battle against the “fascist” BJP, accusing the Centre of launching a witch-hunt for political vendetta.
Prasad’s attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre came hours after Income Tax department conducted raids on at least 22 locations in Delhi and adjoining areas in a probe into alleged benami deals worth ₹1,000 crore, linked to him and some of his family members.
“BJP ko naiye alliance partners mubarak ho. Lalu Prasad jhukney aur darney wala nahin. Jab tak aakhri saans hain fashiwaadi takhto ke saath lartha rahunga (Congratulations to BJP on its new alliance partners. Lalu will continue to fight fascist forces till the last breath),” Lalu tweeted. Though Lalu is known to attack the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi frequently, what set the cat among the pigeons was his mention of “new alliance partners” of the saffron party, which many believed is a threat to his ally Nitish Kumar.
Lalu’s RJD is part of the Kumar-led grand alliance government that also includes the Congress. Lalu’s two sons – Tej Pratap and Tejashwi – are ministers in the Nitish government.
On Monday, the chief minister said the Centre was free to take
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi alleges that Lalu influenced Patna zoo soil deal
Modi dares CM Nitish Kumar to dismiss deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, health minister Tej Pratap Yadav
Modi dares Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and his mother Rabri Devi, a sitting MLC and former chief minister, to declare that landed properties of AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd was owned by them
Modi said AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, owned by Om Prakash Katyal’s family, had purchased land at Panapur, Chittkohra in March 2007. In 2014, Katyal transferred entire shares of the company to Rabri and her son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav action against those facing corruption charges.
Political analysts said that Lalu, facing a barrage of corruption charges, has tried to send across a message to the BJP as
BJP alleged that the property had been gifted to Tejashwi and his health minister brother Tej Pratap Yadav by their maternal uncle Prabhunath Yadav
Modi fires another salvo on Lalu alleging that he also used Mumbai-based AB Exports Pvt Ltd, as a “front company”, to acquire prime residential property worth 1115 crore
BJP leader alleges that Lalu got land from Kanti Singh in lieu of a union cabinet berth during UPA rule
Sushil Modi demands ED probe into “shady dealings” of Misa-owned Mishail Packers & Printers Pvt Ltd with 4 shell companies of Jain brothers Surendra and Virendra Jain to expose the money laundering trail. well as the JD(U) that any fresh unity among the two parties would not affect him and he will single-handedly take on the BJP.
“The RJD chief’s statement reflects how Prasad, after the IT raids and growing attacks from BJP, does not want any dilution of his clout within the grand alliance and give JD(U) a leeway to put pressure on him in matter of governance ,” said an RJD leader.
Last week, the Supreme Court revived the criminal conspiracy charges against Lalu Prasad in one of the five pending cases in the fodder scam, rejecting his plea that he cannot be prosecuted twice for the same offence.
The court ruling is seen as a big setback to the powerful regional satrap who was disqualified from Parliament and banned from contesting elections after he was convicted of corruption in 2013 in one of the biggest scams in Bihar.
However, after Lalu’s tweet, RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said the reference to “new alliance partners” was an allusion to how the BJP had picked I-T department and CBI as its partners to harass political rivals. “We say, IT and CBI have become BJP’s new alliance partners as they are being used to intimidate arch rivals like Lalu Prasad and others. It has nothing to do with grand alliance,” he said.
Lalu also sent a a couple of more tweets, mocking people creating hype about the raids and asserted thta attempts to suppress his voice would see thousands of Lalu taking centre stage against the BJP. The RJD chief remained confined within his residence throughout the day as the raids targeted properties acquired through alleged dubious deals by his family members.