Grand alliance will defeat BJP-led NDA, say Lalu, Nitish

Patna, Aug 12: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday said the grand alliance of JD-U, RJD, Congress and NCP would defeat the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the coming state assembly polls.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader also denied any differences among the alliance leaders.

"We are united; there is no difference among us. We will defeat the NDA in the assembly polls," Lalu said at the first joint press conference of the two leaders here in the state.

Nitish Kumar said that Janata Dal-United and Rashtriya Janata Dal will contest 100 seats each, the Congress 40 and the Nationalist Congress Party remaining three seats in the 243-seat assembly.

Nitish Kumar said a 'Swabhiman Rally' of the grand alliance would be held on August 30 in Gandhi maidan in Patna.

Lalu Prasad said they had joined hands to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. "We will reply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark about the DNA of Nitish Kumar at our joint rally in Patna," the former chief minister said.

"Modi has insulted Bihar and Biharis will take revenge," Lalu said in his inimitable style, adding that they would "send the BJP and RSS back to Nagpur".

Earlier, both leaders addressed a joint press conference in Delhi in April 2015 along with other leaders of the Janata Parivar.

Last year, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar came together at an election rally for the first time in two decades.

IANS