Lalu Prasad Yadav is against reservation, says Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary

Samrat Chaudhary. Pic/PTI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary launched a scathing attack on former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, alleging that the RJD is opposed to reservation policies and the Constitution, reported news agency ANI.

Chaudhary, while addressing the media, questioned the credentials of Lalu's son and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, in addressing crucial political issues.

"His father (Lalu Prasad Yadav) ruled for 34 years. Who is asking him (Tejashwi Yadav)? They (BJP leaders) are asking Lalu Ji. They are asking for the 20-25 percent of votes that Lalu Yadav has. Has he (Tejashwi Yadav) done any work yet? For 15 years, his father did not give a reservation to a single person in Bihar. Lalu Prasad is against reservation and the Constitution," Chaudhary said, reported ANI.

Earlier Tejashwi Yadav took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing roadshow in Patna and claimed that his (Tejashwi) party has held a job show while the PM is holding a roadshow.

PM Modi will lead a roadshow in Patna on Sunday evening, followed by three election rallies elsewhere in Bihar, a day later.

Speaking to ANI hours ahead of PM's roadshow, Yadav said, "He is doing a roadshow, whereas we have done a job show. I want to appeal to the Prime Minister: You have visited Bihar 8-10 times now, but you have not told people what you will do for Bihar in the next five years."

Further, Yadav claimed that he gave a tough fight to the BJP leader as he did nearly 140 rallies, while the BJP has called in several top leaders and CMs to do election campaigns in the state, reported ANI.

"Even though the Prime Minister is coming to Bihar, he has not fulfilled a single promise he made to the people of Bihar. He said he would give a special package, special attention, and special status to Bihar. What happened to these promises?... The Prime Minister is coming here, the Home Minister is coming here, Rajnath Singh is coming here, JP Nadda is coming here, Nitin Gadkari is coming here, CMs of various states are coming here, and everyone is being brought to Bihar to campaign for the BJP."

"Whereas we stand alone. I have organised nearly 140 public meetings. This means I am alone,, overpowering everyone else. Prime Minister's road show plan was changed many times. He is going through places that are heavily populated BJP has been pushed out of villages," he added, reported ANI.

The roadshow will commence at the Income Tax Office roundabout, situated a few hundred metres from the state BJP headquarters, and conclude at Udyog Bhavan in the vicinity of Gandhi Maidan, passing through crowded localities like Fraser Road, Exhibition Road, Kadam Kuan and Sahitya Sammelan.

After the roadshow, the Prime Minister is scheduled to retire for the night at the Raj Bhavan and on the next morning, the PM will continue his poll campaign in Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Saran.

With 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, the fourth highest among all States and Union Territories, Bihar holds a crucial position in shaping Indian politics.

On April 19, in the first phase, the polling was held in four constituencies: Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui and Nawada, with a 49.26 per cent voter turnout.

In the second phase, the polling was held in five constituencies: Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia, with a 59.45 per cent voter turnout on April 26.

In the third phase of elections on May 7, Bihar's Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria went to polls and the state recorded 58.18 per cent voter turnout.

The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats.

As part of the NDA, the BJP and JD (U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats, respectively.

In 2019, the BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state, failed to open its account.

(With inputs from ANI)