Patna: The political battleground in Bihar is witnessing an intensifying clash within the Yadav community as personal and political barbs are exchanged between RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai of the BJP.
In a bold move that escalated the already heated rhetoric, Nityanand, speaking to reporters in Patna on Wednesday, openly challenged Lalu to field a candidate from his family in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the Ujiarpur constituency, currently represented by him.
The BJP leader, confident in his position, declared, “You (Lalu) field anyone from your family against me. If I lose, I will retire from politics. After retirement, I will serve the party by becoming the booth president of BJP. However, if your candidate loses, then your entire family should retire from politics. Accept my challenge and send someone to Ujiarpur.”
This challenge comes in response to Lalu’s taunts during a program at the ISKCON temple in Patna on the occasion of Govardhan Puja on Tuesday. Lalu had remarked that Nityanand’s electoral bail would be confiscated if he fielded his elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, in the elections.
The exchange between the two leaders took a sharp turn when Lalu accused Nityanand of cow slaughter. In response, Rai suggested a unique test, stating, “Lalu’s younger son Tejashwi should stand in some village of Raghopur (Tejashwi’s assembly constituency) and call his father Lalu. There it will be proved which butcher is getting the cow slaughtered. Stand on the banks of Ganga and take my exam or you can give your exam. In order to appease votes, you are indulging in cow slaughter by opening butcher’s food.”
On the issue of Lalu questioning whether Nityanand’s wife should have been made the Chief Minister of Bihar instead of Rabri Devi, Nityanand said nepotism is not a part of his political approach. “I am the only one in politics from my family. When I became MLA, my father had even resigned from the post of Mukhiya. You believe in familyism, not me,” asserted Nityanand.
