Modi says Tejashwi trying to hide Lalu's 'sins'; mocks RJD-Cong for celebrating foreign festivals

Saharsa/Katihar, Nov 3 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday excoriated the opposition INDIA bloc, charging the RJD and Congress with being at daggers drawn and claiming that their CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav was trying to "hide the sins" of his father Lalu Prasad by relegating his photos to the corner of election posters.

Addressing back-to-back rallies in Saharsa and Katihar districts of the Seemanchal region in Bihar, he also slammed "royal families" of the Congress and RJD, alleging that they were fond of visiting various places abroad and celebrating foreign festivals, but called Chhath Puja a "drama" and did not find the time to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The jibe was seen as an indirect reference to videos of Prasad that have gone viral on social media in which the RJD president can be seen celebrating Halloween with his grandchildren.

Modi also alleged that Yadav, the RJD supremo's son and heir apparent, was "playing hide and seek" with voters by invoking the legacy of his father but shying away from having his photos on the party's election posters.

"What are the sins of the so-called tall leader, synonymous with jungle raj, that the crown prince is trying to hide," asked the PM, refraining from mentioning any of the opposition leaders by name.

The remarks singed Yadav and his eldest sister Misa Bharti, the RJD MP from Patliputra.

Yadav said, "The PM should give up talking rubbish and tell the 14 crore people of Bihar what he has done for them. As far as Lalu Prasad is concerned, his tenure as railway minister was a great success, which all his detractors feel envious about." Bharti said, "Who says there is no poster of Lalu Prasad around? Does the PM come to Bihar only to keep a count of posters put up by the RJD? He would do better to talk about more substantial things." The PM reiterated that the Congress had agreed to name Yadav as the INDIA bloc's CM face only after the RJD put a "katta" or country-made gun on its head and claimed that the grand old party was now out to avenge the insult.

Yadav reacted to the remark with disgust, saying, "Has anyone seen a PM using a language like this?” Bharti said, "Instead of talking about jobs, the PM is giving them lessons about katta." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also took exception to the remark and said, "How did the PM know whether we were willing or not for Tejashwi's candidature? Was he present when we were at the negotiating table?" Kharge also highlighted the absence of CM Nitish Kumar at the PM’s rallies and the roadshow held in Patna a day ago.

"It is a conspiracy that the CM should understand. The BJP is definitely not going to give him another chance," he claimed.

However, the JD(U) sought to downplay the absence of Kumar, who was last seen sharing the stage with Modi at his first election meeting in the state at Samastipur on October 24.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told PTI, "Nitish Kumar, being the tallest NDA leader in Bihar, has the responsibility to campaign in all 243 constituencies. His schedule is drawn accordingly. Kharge would do better to explain to us why Tejashwi Yadav was not with Rahul Gandhi yesterday when the Congress leader was giving speeches and catching fish." The allusion was to Gandhi's rally in Begusarai, after which the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha interacted with fishermen at a pond nearby and also swam in the muddy waters.

Speaking in an area which has a high density of Muslim population, the PM also alleged that Congress and RJD, by "supporting infiltrators", were facilitating "a dangerous conspiracy" of upsetting the "demographic balance" in Seemanchal.

Modi alleged that the stance was in line with the opposition parties' "capitulation before extremists, for the sake of votes", which was evident in their opposition to the triple talaq bill and the more recent Waqf Act. PTI PKD NAC SOM