Lok Sabha polls 2014: Don't throw shoes at Nitish, says Lalu

PATNA: Taking a swipe on the recent public protests at election rallies of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday urged people not to throw shoes and slippers, instead "strike at him (Nitish) through votes".

"Usko chot lag jayega. Usko vote ka chot dijiye (he might get injured. Strike at him through votes)," Lalu said after flagging off an election chariot of RJD from the party office here. He described Nitish and BJP's PM pick Narendra Modi as 'purane yaar' (old friends) and said both the leaders were quarrelling in public to befool the voters.

"Nitish used to shower praises on Modi even after Godhra riots in Gujarat. The duo winks at each other while befooling people. But people of Bihar now know the real face of Nitish. Hence they have started welcoming him with shoes and slippers," Lalu said.

Reminding people of lathicharge on the women teachers on contract, homeguards, health workers and aanganwadi sewikas during Nitish regime, RJD chief said his party's election manifesto would take up the demands of all government employees who were beaten up by the police for raising their demands. "Jitna sab Patna mein pitaya hai, uske demands ko hum manifesto mein layenge (We will bring the issues and demands of all those who were beaten up by the police at Patna)," he said.

Two-term BJP MLA from Forbesganj, Lakshmi Narayan Mehta, and hundreds of his supporters joined the RJD on the occasion. Welcoming Mehta, Lalu said senior leaders like him were leaving BJP and JD (U) because there was no respect for genuine workers and committed leaders in those parties. Mehta said the leaders belonging to backward communities were being humiliated in the BJP. "Despite being a sitting MLA in 2010, I was denied BJP ticket from Forbesganj. At that time I was assured of getting some respectful post. But nothing was done," he said.