Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Prime Minister on Tuesday, saying he was going to “catch the throat of Narendra Modi”. He was speaking just before leaving for Mumbai to participate in the third meeting of the Opposition coalition, the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
The ailing RJD leader has been convicted and is currently on bail in several fodder scam cases. After a picture of Mr. Yadav playing badminton went viral on social media, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed to the Supreme Court to cancel his bail which had been granted on the grounds of poor health. The court has deferred the matter till October 17.
“Mumbai mein Narendra Modi ke nareti par chadhne ja rahe hain humlog. Narendra Modi ka nareti hum pakde hue hain…hatana hai (In Mumbai, we’re going to ride on the throat of Narendra Modi. I’ve caught hold of the throat of Narendra Modi… will remove him)”, the RJD chief told media persons at the Patna airport on his way to the INDIA bloc’s meeting, accompanied by his younger son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
Opposition strategy
The Opposition coalition’s third meeting will be held in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, following the first two meetings held in Patna and Bengaluru in June and July respectively. The parties of the INDIA bloc are expected to chalk out their strategy, deciding which party will contest against the BJP from where, and detailing seat-sharing plans.
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As previously announced, the convenor of the alliance will also be named in Mumbai. Mr. Yadav had earlier said that rather than a single convenor, the INDIA coalition could have several convenors for the sake of smooth functioning. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had also recently hinted at a possible expansion of the coalition, with the inclusion of some more political parties at the Mumbai meeting.
Cancel bail: CBI
Earlier on August 23, the CBI, which is investigating the multi-crore fodder scam cases, told the Supreme Court that Mr. Yadav was playing badminton in Patna though the Jharkhand High Court had granted him bail in the fodder scam cases in April 2022 on the grounds of poor health. The CBI petitioned the court to cancel Mr. Yadav’s bail.
Responding to this, Mr. Tejashwi Yadav asked, “Is playing badminton an offence? Are eating, walking and meeting people a crime? Should an ailing person be kept in confinement and not allowed to do anything?” Mr. Kumar also said, “Becharey ko nahak tang kar rahe hain (the helpless man is being unnecessarily harassed)”.
The unfazed Mr. Yadav senior has been recently seen enjoying a luxury boat ride on the Ganga, a luxury van ride to his home district of Gopalganj, and attending a book launch function in Patna where he slammed the PM for opposing the caste-based survey in Bihar. A recent picture of the RJD leader enjoying a kulfi with senior party colleague Shivanand Tiwari in a luxury van at Patna’s newly constructed Marine Drive has also been splashed across the local media..
