BEEF ROW: Lalu does U-turn on his remark, says media misleading people

The RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav who is under controversy after his recent ''beef'' remark on Tuesday blamed the media for distorting and blowing out of context his remark on September 3, that he had given following the Dadri lynching incident.

Coming out of 10 Circular road bungalows, the former CM of Bihar made no attempt to hide his anger over the presence of electronic and print media persons, who started putting questions on his controversial statement as soon as he emerged from his house.

Lalu when pressed for a response, lost his cool and said “Cow is our mother. I didn't say Hindu eat cow meat. Those who are misquoting me and running this agenda are ''haramzadas'',” he told the waiting media persons.

According to him , a reporter of a news channel has asked for his comments on Dadri incident to which he had responded. However the channel aired his comments out of context, he claimed.

Lalu said there are about 500 cows in his cowshed and he was a true gow-palak (cow keeper) and added that it was unfortunate that the BJP leaders who eat dogs were advising him on cow protection.

"I worship and protect cows,” he said before leaving for helipad for his election campaign. He was reacting to the statement of BJP MP from Nawada who had threatened to launch dharna at Lalu's house to protest RJD president's controversial statement.

"Lalu baura gaye hain. Hindu gaupalak kabhi gai nahi khate. Vote ke liye Hindu ko badnaam naa karen. Shabd wapis len nahi to unke ghar se andolan shuru kar dunga (Lalu has no control over his sense. Hindus, who rear cows, never eat beef. He should take back his words or I'll start agitation from Prasad's residence)," Singh had stated in his tweet.

Former deputy CM and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi while leaving for his election campaign at the state hangar said that the BJP would bring a legislation to ban cow slaughter if it came to power in Bihar.

Modi said Lalu who claimed to be the son of an Yadav can go to any extent and eat beef to please a section of his vote bank. According to him, BJP ruled states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have already banned cow slaughter.

Incidentally, Bihar already has an act that was enacted in 1953 to ban cow slaughter which provides for 6 years imprisonment to those involved in killing of bovine cattle.

Union minister of state Ram Kripal Yadav who is a BJP MP from Patliputra also condemned Lalu's statement and said he was not a true Yadav and does not respect cows.

The leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad who is campaigning for the Congress candidates in the state distanced himself from Lalu's ''beef'' remark and said even in Jammu and Kashmir people do not consume beef but eat meat of sheep and goat and stated that Dadri incident should not be politicized.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not spoken on the issue so far and refrained himself from taking the side of Lalu Prasad on this issue.