लालू और नितीश का नया बाजा, पटना में बनेगी मूवी सिटी

Nitish, Lalu lock horns again
11 Nov 2008,
PATNA: Bihar political titans CM Nitish Kumar and railway minister Lalu Prasad have locked horns again over resignation politics. Lalu sent a letter

to CM Nitish Kumar on Monday charging him with `breaking the unity of political parties’ over the Maharashtra issue. Nitish hit back saying Lalu was indulging in dramatics. “It was easy to take revenge over Kosi flood issue as the anger of the youths in Bihar was directed against Lalu because the venue of the railway recruitment exam was in Mumbai where Bihari candidates were beaten up. I could have stoked their anger. Instead I appealed for peace,” said Nitish. He charged his political foe with `roaming around in Bihar’ instead of being in Delhi and pressurisng the Centre to take action on Maharashtra issue. He said that he was not aware of any letter sent to him by Lalu. “I will read it in the newspapers tomorrow,” he quipped. Nitish strongly defended the BJP on the Maharashtra issue. “The BJP does not need a certificate from anyone to prove its concern over the issue. BJP members were part of the all-parties’ delegation which met the PM to express concern over the developments in Bihar,” Nitish said. He said that Lalu was accusing the BJP with regard to this issue. “Why is he not accusing the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) who were running the government in Maharashtra. The NCP should have named itself Maharashtra Congress Party (MCP),” Nitish said, stressing that the RJD, LJP and Congress were partners in the UPA government at the Centre and not the BJP. He said that the RJD and LJP could have created pressure on the Centre to take action in Maharashtra.”Numerically, the RJD and LJP are stronger than the DMK in Tamil Nadu,” he pointed out. Nitish said that he did not want the RJD and LJP to ask their MPs to quit the Lok Sabha. “I know Lalu and Paswan are incapable of giving up power. They will enjoy power like a smoker enjoys smoking till the last puff. But I want them to build on the pressure created by the resignation of JD(U) MPs,” he asserted. On the other hand, Lalu in his letter, stuck to his stand that MPs and legislators of all political parties should quit and launch a non-political movement against elements like Raj Thackeray and Bal Thackeray. “If we all resign, the Centre cannot survive without us. I am ready to sacrifice power in Delhi. Nitish Kumar should sacrifice power here. It will have a nationwide impact and I am ready to accept Nitish as a leader of the agitation,” Lalu remarked. Lalu alleged that the damage done to the railway property in the wake of Maharashtra developments in Bihar was a `planned conspiracy’ and was aimed at defaming the students here. Lalu, however, said he knew that Nitish was a “Kursi Chipku”. “Nitish is now saying that the resignation of the MLAs will lead to imposition of President’s Rule in Bihar. If he is so frightened, I propose that only I and he should quit,” Lalu said. He also reiterated that there should be no truck with elements like MNS and Shiv Sena directly or indirectly. “Now Nitish is saying that he has alliance with the BJP and not the Shiv Sena,” Lalu said, pointing out that L K Advani has not uttered a word on the developments in Maharashtra. “The BJP is more dear to Nitish than Biharis,” Lalu said. He said that the people in the flood-hit Kosi area were in a bad shape and he would be visiting them soon to make an assessment. Lalu said that he will await for Nitish’s response to his letter till November 15, the deadline set by Lalu for quitting of MPs and legislator