Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alleged on Tuesday that opposition RJD was trying to foment social strife in the state with the claim that its jailed president Lalu Prasad has been “framed”, though he was serving sentences in fodder scam cases as per court orders.
Addressing a rally here in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar took potshots at his arch rival for having written an “open letter” addressed to him the previous day and warned the people of the State, referring to the opposition party’s poll symbol, “If by any chance they get success in elections, Bihar will be back to the lantern age.”
“On the one hand is our development plank, our commitment to serving the people. On the other hand are those who are after power for the sake of pelf. They speak of the Constitution and the perceived threats to it. The Constitution provides that a person is held guilty for a charge by the court and awarded punishment,” Kumar, who heads the JD(U), an NDA ally in Bihar, said without mentioning the opposition party or its leader by name.
“But they have been alleging ‘phansaya gaya hai’ (he has been framed). We cannot say anybody has been framed when he is convicted by a court of law. But they keep levelling the same allegation to foment social strife hoping that it would bring them electoral gains,” the CM said.
“I was amused to read in newspapers today that he has written an open letter to me. I wonder how he could do that while in jail. Moreover, the way he has spoken about the lantern makes me warn the people of the State. Beware, if by any chance they get success in elections, Bihar will be back to the lantern age.”