‘Our charges against Lalu are vindicated’
winnable mascot?
Prasad’s family itself is a bunch of ambitious individuals, with eldest daughter Misa Bharti and elder son Tej Pratap Yadav gunning for bigger roles.
“The situation is such, that many RJD leaders are in touch with us, though some do not subscribe to our party philosophy. We cannot accommodate them all,” said JD(U)’S RCP Singh last week.
If Prasad is absent from the state’s political scene for a long time, it might spark an exodus.
“Lalu in jail is an asset, if the assembly polls is to happen this year; 2019 could be a different ball game,” said a top RJD leader, not willing to be quoted. The main worry within the family is, ‘the boys are far from settled in politics”. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi believed the latest conviction closed the RJD chapter. “It’s difficult for it to emerge out of this abyss,” he said.
But betting against Prasad, a man known to rebound every time he is written off, is still fraught with the danger of a political miscalculation. PATNA: The three-and-a-half year jail sentence to RJD chief and former chief minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday has been hailed by the ruling BJP and the JD(U).
“Conviction is conviction. Either 3.5 years or 7 years. Our charges against Lalu have been vindicated by court,” tweeted Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
“It is a victory for poor people of the state. Bihar has got justice,” said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh.
“The decision is a message to all those who believe in plundering wealth of the country...,” said BJP’S national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
“The RJD should respect the verdict,” said BJP state president Nityanand Rai.
The BJP and JD(U) also mocked RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari who had brought the ‘caste angle’ into the episode. “It’s a shame on them who see everything from caste angle,” said Sanjay Singh.
“AR Kidwai ,Dev Gauda were not Bjp men when Lalu was prosecuted in Fodder Scam.h Court was monitoring the case .Lalu went to jail during his own rule .Where is bias ? (sic)” the deputy CM said in a tweet.
Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee acting chief Kaukab Qadri, on the otehr hand, said. “The special court’s judgement to convict and sentence Lalu Prasad will not have impact on forces fighting for secularism and social justice. Congress-rjd alliance will continue in Bihar.”