RJD Demands Bharat Ratna for Lalu Prasad, NDA Peeved

Patna: A poster demanding Bharat Ratna for RJD president Lalu Pras on Friday evoked ridicule from ruling NDA in Bihar which raked up former chief minister's tainted record.

poster, signed by an office bearer of RJD's SC/ST cell, has been put up close to party's Birchand Patel Marg office in state capital.

"Leer of social justice and voice of Bihar Lalu Pras be conferred with Bharat Ratna", re a slogan on poster which also h a photograph of RJD supremo captioned "Messiah! Our God!" 

Reacting with distaste, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Pras said, "I would have treated it as a joke h we been close to festival of Holi . But since demand has been me by RJD in earnest, I would urge m t to insult (tauheen) Bharat Ratna." 

JD(U) state spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar put it more bluntly, saying "Why should Lalu ji get a Bharat Ratna? high standards of corruption, casteism, dynasty politics and patron to criminals set by him would make any Ratna (jewel) lose its sheen out of shame." tably, Pras is serving sentences in a number of fodder scam cases and is currently out on bail. He has also been disqualified from contesting polls on account of convictions in cases.

Former state BJP president and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary sought to underscore point saying, "In recognition of his financial wrongdoings, Lalu Pras be given title of Loot Ratna." Meanwhile, RJD, which has been out of power despite being single largest party in state assembly, was unfazed.

"Talk to any rickshaw puller or labourer in Bihar . He will tell you that it was Lalu ji who gave m a voice. All OBC and Dalit leers of Bihar, be y from any party, owe ir political fortunes to social revolution brought in by our leer," asserted RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed.

Congress , which has been an old alliance partner of RJD, came out with a guarded response.

"Every party has such feelings about its leer. re is thing unusual about it. Moreover, we cant deny fact that among all leers in Bihar , Lalu has largest support base," said state Congress media cell in-charge Rajesh Rathore.

Incidentally, just about a month ago, a poster demanding highest civilian hour for Nitish Kumar , longest serving CM of state, h been put up outside his JD(U)'s office.

Ar NDA partner, Union minister Chirag Paswan , has demanded Bharat Ratna for his late far Ram Vilas Paswan.

(Inputs from PTI)