Lalu turns 68; celebrates B'day with Nitish, vows 'ghar wapasi' of BJP

Patna, Jun 11: With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by his side, RJD chief Lalu Prasad today celebrated his 68th birthday and vowed to force 'ghar wapasi' of BJP in the state assembly elections.

"The coming Bihar assembly elections are a 'dangal' (wrestling match). The entire country is watching it with keen interest. My wish is to have 'ghar wapasi' of BJP (send it packing)...," Prasad said, apparently referring to times when BJP had won just two seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections.

Using the occasion to deride the saffron party, which is seeking to wrest control of Bihar from JD(U), Lalu demanded that BJP declare its chief ministerial candidate for the polls.

"I am very politely asking the BJP not to indulge in hypocrisy. It should first declare its chief ministerial candidate and then contest the polls. (But) I will not be polite to it anymore from tomorrow," Lalu said.

The RJD boss had for weeks resisted JD(U)'s demand to name Nitish as the alliance's chief ministerial face before agreeing to the proposal following a pact brokered by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The day Nitish was announced as the alliance's chief ministerial candidate, Lalu had said he was prepared to gulp "poison" to crush the "cobra" of communalism, apparently referring to BJP.

"I am supporting Nitish Kumar and he will be our next chief minister," Lalu, who cut a 68 kg cake to mark his birthday, said as he embraced his friend-turned-foe-turned- friend Nitish Kumar, giving a battery of click-happy photographers the rare moment to capture the bonhomie between 'bade bhai' (Lalu) and 'chhote bhai' (Nitish).

Nitish, however, chose not to talk politics, saying he only wanted to extend his good wishes to the RJD leader on his birthday.

PTI