Muzaffarpur rally: Narendra Modi versus Lalu Prasad Yadav?

PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad is planning to hold a rally in Muzaffarpur on March 3 at the same venue where the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a gathering.

The local unit of the BJP has already sought permission from the district administration to use the police line ground for the rally and the MIT ground for parking. But RJD’s secretary general Ram Kripal Yadav told ET on Monday, “We too will hold a rally there on March 3. The RJD chief of Muzaffarpur district, Mithilesh Rai, has moved an application to the district magistrate for allotment of the police line ground near MIT.” He said his party would raise a ruckus if the district administration ruled in favour of the BJP. “Let them reject our plea for allotment of the police line ground. We will show them what we can do,” he said.

Analysts said the RJD leaders knew well that the administration was likely to allot the venue to the BJP since it had sought permission first, but added that Prasad’s party probably wanted to use the issue to take on the Nitish Kumar-led state government. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said his party had already held detailed discussions with the district administration. “Our party leaders have already held detailed discussions with the Muzaffarpur district administration.”