Nitish Kumar questions rationale of celebrating Lalu's release

PATNA: With the RJD workers on cloud nine for the release of party president Lalu Prasad on bail from a Ranchi jail, his rival state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said it was a judicial process and not a political event and there was no rationale for celebrating it.

"From where is he coming?... It's a judicial decision and not a political event so what is the rationale of celebrating it?" Kumar told reporters when asked to comment on Prasad's release.

"There are some charges on him in which the court is looking into and its not a political process," he said.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said he had earlier not commented when the RJD supremo was convicted in a fodder scam case and jailed.

"I also do not want to comment now when the Supreme Court has granted him bail," he said.

On the political ramifications of Prasad's release, Kumar said he did not have much interest in what his opponents were saying or doing, but concentrated on his own work.

"I am sincerely discharging the responsibility the people have given me through a mandate in 2010 and not bothered what political opponents are saying," he said.

Kumar also said that it was a mistake to have inducted history-sheeter Rajesh Kumar alias Chunnu Thakur in the JD(U) and when his attention was drawn it was corrected.

Chunnu Thakur was the alleged mastermind of kidnapping a school boy Kislay Kaushal, son of a government officer, which had forced BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee to make a strong comment at a public meeting at Gandhi maidan in 2004 here saying "Where is my Kislay?"

Vajpayee's comments seeking return of Kislay had made strong impact on peoples' mind against kidnapping and poor law and order situation under the RJD rule.