Bihar bypolls: JD(U) says unfazed by Lalu’s campaign

Prasad, who has been away from the state since December 2017 when he was convicted and jailed in fodder scam cases, held election rallies in both constituencies on Wednesday.

The ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the campaigning by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad could damage its winning prospects in Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats, where bypolls are to be held on October 30.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad waves to supporters during a by-election rally at Tarapur constituency in Munger. (ANI)

Both seats were won by JD(U) in 2020 state elections.

Prasad, who has been away from the state since December 2017 when he was convicted and jailed in fodder scam cases, held election rallies in both constituencies on Wednesday.

“Lalu unleashed his tongue while Nitish Kumar’s work speaks for him. Nobody can forget the journey to Kusheshwar Asthan from Darbhanga 16 years ago and the smooth ride today. It would have been better had Laluji talked about what his government had done. People enjoying round-the-clock electricity supply will never like to even remember the lantern age they were condemned to live in earlier,”said Bihar minister and JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha, who has been camping in the area for weeks.

“If Bihar today has infant mortality rate (IMR) less than the national average, which is reflected through the Centre’a report released on Tuesday, it shows how the Nitish Kumar government has worked at the basics,” he said.

JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said that despite his illness, Lalu Prasad going for campaigning shows he does not have trust in the ability of his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. “There has been no change in his approach despite consistent drubbing at the hands of the voters since 2005 and the bypoll results will also be no different. Nitish Kumar has given him enough of political treatment in the last 15 years. It is strange that a man who cannot contest even panchayat polls is seeking votes in assembly election,” he said.