Unfazed by an FIR against him for his alleged casteist remarks, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday said he is ready to be “hanged”, but will not allow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) to scrap quotas for the backwards and <g data-gr-id="33">dalits</g>, making it clear that Mandal politics will top his agenda for the Bihar polls.
“I am prepared to be hanged, but will not allow BJP and RSS to succeed in scrapping reservations,” Prasad said.
The RJD chief, for long considered a messiah of the backward classes, described the electoral contest in the state as one between ‘Jungle Raj 2’ and ‘Mandal Raj 2’. “BJP has given the slogan of Jungle Raj-2 against which I am saying Mandal Raj-2... what is the crime in saying this?" Prasad <g data-gr-id="29">said,</g> a day after an FIR was registered against him for his alleged casteist comments.
Addressing a rally to launch his son Tejaswi Yadav’s campaign in Raghopur, from where he is making his electoral debut, Prasad had on Sunday described the Assembly elections as a direct fight between “the backward castes and forward castes” and given a call to Yadavs and other backward castes to rally behind the secular alliance to defeat BJP-led NDA.
The Election Commission had found the remarks violative of the model code of
conduct for elections and ordered registration of an FIR against him.
Nitish our ‘dulha’, BJP has none
Meanwhile, Prasad said the BJP-led NDA is contesting the Assembly polls like hosting a wedding without bridegroom, which the grand alliance has in Nitish Kumar.
Taking a swipe at the BJP-led NDA alliance for not declaring any CM, Prasad at a rally in <g data-gr-id="23">Jamui</g> said: “We, the grand alliance, have <g data-gr-id="24">dulha</g> <g data-gr-id="21">(bridegroom)</g> Nitish Kumar. But BJP-led NDA has no <g data-gr-id="25">dulha</g>.”