Lalu, Nitish counter Amit Shah's claim on first OBC PM

Patna, Jul 11: BJP President Amit Shah's claim about the party giving first Prime Minister from the OBC caste in Narendra Modi, was today sharply contradicted by both the JD(U) and RJD.

Prominent OBC leaders - Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD President Lalu Prasad, contradicted Shah and reminded him about former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda hailing from the same community.

Kumar took a potshot at BJP for "falsely claiming" Narendra Modi to be the first OBC Prime Minister of the country.

Citing BJP's victory in Bihar Legislative Council poll, Shah had yesterday said that the Janata Parivar proved to be a damp squib and claimed his party had given the "first prime minister" and "maximum chief ministers from the community."

Responding to questions from mediapersons on Shah's claim, Kumar too cited name of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to contradict BJP President Amit Shah's statement. RJD President Lalu Prasad was harsher on the BJP chief.

"It's a white lie. H D Deve Gowda was the first PM from OBC community whom I had helped to reach to chair of Prime Ministership," Prasad told reporters.

"Shah appears to be a disturbed, perturbed man who under stress is making confusing claims. He is trying to falsify history," the RJD chief alleged, taking jibe at the saffron party head.

Lalu Prasad said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Modh Ghanchi' caste was included in the OBC list in 2000 on recommendations of the then Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel which was accepted by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the NDA rule.

The RJD president said the BJP started lumbering OBC community only after 1990, when Mandal movement had gripped the country.

Prasad and Kumar were the prominent faces of the Mandal movement that resulted in reservation for the OBC (Other Backward Classes) in government jobs granted by the then government of Prime Minister V P Singh.

PTI