Yashwant fires broadside at Lalu

Indore, Mar 6 (UNI) Reacting to Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's opinion regarding parliamentarians from Bihar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha today quipped that Mr Thackeray should not think that every such MP was like Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

''Bihar also produces good MPs,'' he told reporters here.

Mr Sinha felt that it was for the Maharashtra government to take a decision on legal action against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

''The Congress is in power both at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Why is no step being taken despite repeated demands for legal action? The BJP has made it clear right from the start that regionalism is a narrow-minded sentiment that can break up the country. Such talk, irrespective of its source, is not in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution,'' he said.

Mr Sinha pointed out that people could move from one state to another under the Constitution's Right to Freedom of Movement.

Earlier, he told party workers to begin preparing for a general election as the Centre could impose one on the country anytime after August.

Reacting to the 2008-09 budget's Rs 60,000 crore debt waiver for farmers, the former union finance minister said, ''why did the United Progressive Alliance regime not take this step earlier? Why wait for a poll year? The UPA government was born handicapped and was paralysed after the 123 Indo-US Nuclear Agreement against which our protest will continue as the deal envisages US control over our nuclear arsenal.'' UNI AA-AC BDP AS2213