Centre harassing Lalu and Tejaswi for uniting opp parties: RJD

Patna, Oct 4: The RJD charged the BJP-led government at the Centre of "harassing" its supremo Lalu Prasad and his son Tejaswi Yadav by implicating them in corruption cases because they are "carrying forward the work of uniting opposition parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls."

"Lalu Prasad and Tejaswi are not present in today's RJDLP meeting here. They are in Delhi where they are carrying forward the work of uniting opposition parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," senior party leader Jagdanand Singh told reporters here.

Singh was speaking after a meeting of RJDLP and the party's district presidents at the residence of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi. He was replying to a query about the absence of Lalu Prasad and Tejaswi, the leader of opposition, who are in Delhi after being summoned by a CBI court in connection with a corruption case. "Prasad and Tejaswi are being harassed by the Centre as the ruling dispensation wants us (RJD) to be demoralized and distraught.

Such attempts to persecute our leaders have been on for nearly 15 years. Nevertheless, our resolve towards forming a mahagathbandhan (of non-BJP parties) remains unaffected. "When the people are able to understand that their leaders are being harassed and victimized, their zeal does not diminish.

During the Independence movement, the common people kept up the tempo even during phases when all the leaders were behind the bars. The masses will show their fighting spirit once again and we will defeat these forces in 2019," Singh claimed. He said RJD will hold its national council meeting on November 20 when the party will elect its national president. "An open session of the party will be held after the election under the leadership of its new president. However, the venue of the national council meeting and the open session has not yet been finalized," he added.

Asked whether the decision to elect a new RJD national president was taken in haste as there were fears that Lalu may soon have to go to jail, Singh rubbished the suggestion and said the announcement for it was made much before the Grand Alliance government in the state collapsed and the CBI was yet to come up with its FIR in the hotel scam.

PTI