Lalu, Fernandes condemn attack on teachers

New Delhi, July 14 (UNI) Railway Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad today launched a sharp attack on the Nitish Kumar government for the police baton-charge on teachers in the state, saying his party would oppose such a ''brutality'' both in the assembly and outside.

''Nitish Kumar had fought the assembly elections on the twin planks of 'a government at your doorstep' and 'livelihood for everyone'. Instead he has given to the people an autocratic bureaucracy,'' Mr Prasad told reporters.

The RJD chief said it was appalling that the teachers were batoncharged while they were protesting aginst the delay in payment of their salaries. ''More disconcerting is the fact that the Education Minister of the state has justified it, which only shows his insensitivity to a just demand of the teachers,'' he said.

Mr Prasad also threatened to launch a campaign against the government, saying it had lost control of the administartion.

In his typical style, he gave a message to the JD(U)-BJP coalition government in Bihar: ''Jo vada kiya use nibhana parega, nahi to jana parega aur hame jaldi aana parega.'' (The promises you have made must be fulfilled. Otherwise you will have to go and we will come back).

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (U) leader George Fernandes also condemned the Bihar government for ''brutal police attack'' on teachers who were staging a protest and said it was unpardonable.

The former JD(U) President, whose relations with the Chief Minister are far from cordial following his defeat in the party elections, said in a statement here that the teachers were protesting peacefully for their wages which had been denied to them earlier by the Lalu Prasad Government.

Reminding that the JD(U) had made this as a major plank during the campaign that catapulated Nitish Kumar to the Chief Minister's post, he said the teachers were merely peacefully demanding justice.

''Not keeping a word to the workers is bad enough, but having the police to beat men and women who have been crying for justice is unpardonable,'' Mr Fernandes said.

UNI SKS MSJ HS2013