Lalu in poll mode, to seek four varsities for Bihar

After Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav hinted at preparing for mid-term elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has decided to get into poll mode too. Srinand Jha reports.

After Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav hinted at preparing for mid-term elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has decided to get into poll mode too.

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Following a hiatus of five years, Prasad will be hitting the streets later this month on a four-day 'yatra' to demand the setting up of four universities - three central and one deemed - in Bihar.

Prasad has now decided to campaign for the cause of education - focusing on demands for upgrading Patna University to a central varsity and setting up two more at Gaya and Motihari, besides a deemed university at Vaishali.

Prasad will address meetings at all the four locations during a four-day campaign, party sources said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and human resources development minister Kapil Sibal have been arguing over the location of the proposed central university in the state. While Sibal has been pressing for Gaya, Kumar prefers Motihari.

"The controversy is misplaced. While there are 44 central universities in the country, Bihar has none. Considering its sheer geographical size and demographic status, the state must have at least four central universities," senior RJD leader and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said. Uttar Pradesh has four central universities and eight deemed universities, he added.

Meanwhile, the RJD chief has instructed party cadres to fan out across Bihar. "We are now getting ready for the polls. The party leadership's directive is to be ready for the 2014 general elections," a source said.

As part of the intensive campaign programmes being worked out, Prasad also plans to demand setting up of AIIMS branches at five locations.