Cong men probably "much happier" during Rahul's absence: Rudy

Chennai, Apr 17: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Friday said that Congress partymen were probably "much happier" during the absence of party vice- president Rahul Gandhi who has just returned to the country from his 56-day sabbatical.

"I think people in his party were much happier when he was not here, so possibly this I could make out in Parliament. I do not know, actually it is for them to find out where he had gone, there is nothing for us to speak on that," Rudy told reporters here in reply to a question on Rahul Gandhi's return.

Stating that Rahul looked relaxed after his return, he said, "He is relaxed, he has come back and that is why he is smiling."

"But I think he has been away for a long time and when you get elected to Parliament there is some commitment to it as well. So I hope he attends Parliament even after his trip which makes him happy," he said on the sidelines of a function here.

Asked if his party has any message for him, he said.

"If he is going on a holiday, he had a tough time in last elections so possibly he decided to go on a sabbatical or on a holiday or something like that. How can BJP get into the personal life of an individual," ?

On Janata Parivar merger, he said, "Several zeros only add up to make more zeros. These are all spent forces and these are not political parties."

When Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav all came together they are individuals who have a philosophy based on their caste or geographical location, he said, adding, "BJP was the only party which had a philosophy."

Hitting out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said "Nitish Kumar created his political plank in Bihar by pointing out what Lalu Yadav had done to Bihar which we call jungle Raj."

"The day Nitish Kumar compromised with Lalu Yadav to form this political group it is simple, they know that people in Bihar have ousted them for good," Rudy said. Terming the merger as a "last ditch struggle to survive in politics of Bihar," he said "this unethical combination created by them would be unacceptable."

"People in Bihar are all set to form a BJP government and would certainly give a befitting reply to this new group", Rudy added.

PTI