Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday (October 26) said that he will ensure the "visarjan" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the ruling NDA in the state as he will be campaigning at Kusheshwar Asthan (SC) and Tarapur by-elections for Assembly seats in Bihar.
Citing his illness, Lalu Yadav said, "I was unwell and was in detention because of which I missed two elections, but now bye-elections are happening and I have managed to come back because of people's love," adding that he will address the public in bypoll seats Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur on October 27th.
Making a dig at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the ruling NDA in Bihar, the RJD chief told ANI, "Nitish Kumar has been eulogised by PM Modi and BJP. Everyone was sloganeering `desh ka PM kaisa ho Nitish kumar jaisa ho` (A PM should be like Nitish). He was being touted as PM material...such arrogance and greed."
The RJP supremo, however, vowed that he will be campaigning at Kusheshwar Asthan (SC) and Tarapur byelections and ensure the "visarjan" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, adding "I know Tejashwi is campaigning in both the places and is doing really well in giving a strong fight to the (ruling) NDA." He expressed confidence that his party will win the by-polls by a great margin.
Lalu Prasad Yadav also expressed confidence in his younger son Tejashwi`s leadership and lauded him for "handling the party pretty well in his absence". His comments came amid a strained relationship being witnessed between his two sons Tej Pratap and Tejashwi over the leadership of the party.
He told ANI that Tejashwi handled the party pretty well in his absence which was beyond his expectations and made RJD the largest party in the last Assembly polls in Bihar, adding "The way Tejashwi handled the party in my absence, it was beyond my expectations. Along with my son, every party worker worked hard and made RJD the largest party in the previous Assembly election."
The RJD supremo said, "The RJD would have been in power in the state but the present ruling NDA alliance in the state cheated to gain power."
The strained relationship between Tej Pratap and his younger brother Tejashwi has been evident after RJD students` wing state president Akash Yadav, who is believed to be a close aide of Tej Pratap, was removed from his post.
Earlier this month, Tej Pratap Yadav had alleged that his father Lalu Prasad Yadav has been held "hostage" in New Delhi despite getting bail earlier this year. Tej Pratap has also alleged that he has been stopped to meet his father Lalu Yadav.
Tej Pratap had also announced that he will announce a big step in the coming days while stating that he is no longer part of RJD.
Notably, Lalu Prasad Yadav returned to Bihar after over three years. Earlier in April, the Jharkhand High Court had granted bail to Yadav, who was undergoing treatment at Ranchi`s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences for two years. He was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi in January.
(With Agency Inputs)
