In climbdown, Lalu says Cong key challenger to BJP at Centre

Prasad, who has been away from the state since December 2017 following his conviction and incarceration in fodder scam cases, landed in Patna on Sunday and called Bhakta Charan Das, All India Congress Committee in-charge of Bihar, a “bhakchonhar (stupid)”, while responding to queries by reporters.

A day after his outburst against a Congress leader that left his old ally enraged, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Monday evening sought to make amends and said he always considered the grand old party as the national alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.

Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad speaks to the media on Bihar assembly bypolls, in Patna on Tuesday. (ANI)

After a public fallout, both RJD and Congress, which have been part of opposition’s grand alliance in Bihar, are in the fray for the October 30 bypolls for Kushsweshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats in the state.

Prasad, who has been away from the state since December 2017 following his conviction and incarceration in fodder scam cases, landed in Patna on Sunday and called Bhakta Charan Das, All India Congress Committee in-charge of Bihar, a “bhakchonhar (stupid)”, while responding to queries by reporters.

On Monday evening, while talking to a select group of reporters at 10, Circular Road bungalow, the official residence of his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, Prasad sought to make light of his own comment. “What is this outcry about this comment? It just means foolish.”

Prasad also hinted that all may not be over between the two allies following Das’s announcement that Congress would contest in all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the next parliamentary polls alone.

“What is Das’s stature in Congress in New Delhi? Is he the highest authority in Congress and how much weight does he carry in the top leadership?” said a frail looking Prasad, who has been suffering from various ailments.

The RJD chief is known to enjoy cordial ties with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Prasad said he still considered the grand old party as the only national alternative to the BJP. “It’s chhutbhaiya netas (small-time leaders) who are spoiling the game. I have defended Congress like nobody else and they know it very well,” he said, in an apparent climbdown.

Prasad had earlier said he could not have allotted Kushsweshwar Asthan to Congress to once again face defeat and lose deposit.

“Our candidate from Kusheshwar Asthan is a strong one. Musahars (one of the weakest groups among scheduled castes) are in big number there,” the RJD chief said, while explaining how his party had a good chance of winning the Tarapur seat with Kushwahwas, Yadavs and Muslims in big numbers.

Talk about his health, Prasad said he had started taking morning walks after returning to Patna and that ‘life has all been the same for him for the last few years in jail and outside.

The former Bihar chief minister, however, was unsparing of his successor and arch rival Nitish Kumar, saying he never cared to enquire about his health even once during his long period of stay at hospitals in Ranchi and New Delhi.

“Almost all big leaders from major parties enquired about my health, but not Nitish. We as politicians may have differences but one must care about each other’s health and well-being. We go out of the way to enquire about any leader’s health if they are sick,” Prasad said.

The RJD chief said Kumar was busy portraying himself as “ PM material” but nobody cared. “He ditched us. It was me who used to put tilak on his forehead to show our committed support. But he went to the BJP,” he said, referring to Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) rejoining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

On the possibility of RJD forming government in Bihar now that he is in Patna, Prasad evaded a direct reply. “Once we get victory in both seats, there will be a stampede in the NDA. We could have formed the government but missed it because of cheating. But yes, there will no truck with Nitish Kumar in near future,” he said.

Prasad reiterated his demand for a caste count along with Census 2021 and mocked the CM for promising that Bihar would conduct a statewide caste count, as in Karnataka a few years back. “This is all rubbish. Where are the funds with the state government to conduct caste census. But we will ensure that nationwide caste census is done. They (read central government) will have to do it,” he said.

The RJD chief, who will be campaigning for his party for the October 30 bypolls, appeared in high spirits about his election meetings in two constituencies on October 27, his first since the 2015 assembly polls. “It’s always good to come back to one’s own people. I have missed two elections , 2019 parliamentary polls and 2020 assembly polls. I am really excited,” he said, as he fields a call from his younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for quick updates on election meetings and praises his work.

“I have seen the videos of your meetings. People are perched up on trees and women are in big number. It’s really good,” Prasad said, sounding like a proud father.

There was no word on his elder son Tej Pratap who indulged in some dramatics on Sunday night when he sat on dharna outside his own official bungalow to protest alleged denial of entry into 10 Circular Road residence on Prasad’s return.

Prasad and Rabri are said to have visited his home late in the night to mollify their elder son.