Nitish's secularism exposed in NDA rally: Lalu

Attacking Rahul Gandhi for giving Nitish Kumar a "secular certificate", RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday said the Bihar Chief Minister's "secular facade" stood exposed after he shared dais with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi. Listen to podcast

Attacking Rahul Gandhi for giving Nitish Kumar a "secular certificate", RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday said the Bihar Chief Minister's "secular facade" stood exposed after he shared dais with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi.

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"I always said Nitish has 'teeth in his stomach' (a complicated person). Now people like Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who had given him the secular certificate, and others who favourably spoke of him will realise how secular he is," Lalu told reporters at Patna airport before leaving for campaigning in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

"Nitish had refused to attend an earlier NDA rally in New Delhi, saying he was not prepared to share stage with Modi, but once the elections in Bihar were over, he (Nitish) returned to his original self," Lalu said. This was the RJD chief's first media interaction since the final round of polling in the state on May 7.

Lalu, who has been alleging that he was given bad media coverage during the elections, had remained incommunicado despite repeated attempts by the media to speak to him.

On Sunday, at the Ludhiana rally which was a show of NDA unity, Nitish and Modi clasped hands and the latter even praised the Bihar Chief Minister for revolutionising agriculture in the state.