Rahul Gandhi's views on Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar at Mount Carmel leaves RJD, JD(U) peeved

PATNA/BENGALURU: Rahul Gandhi's observations about Congress's Bihar allies Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar at Bengaluru's Mount Carmel college on Wednesday invited displeased reactions from their parties, RJD and JD(U), respectively.

Rahul said it was Rahul said it was “generally accepted in Bihar that Nitish Kumar is an honest leader“. “Nitishji has a decent record in corruption,“ he added. Asked if “decent“ conveyed a degree of condescension on Rahul's part -`decent' is not excellent or good; it means he's relatively clean -JD(U) spokesman K C Tyagi said, “It's Nitish Kumar who ensured the confiscation of movable and even immovable properties of some corrupt officials in Bihar.“

Rahul also said, “Now, Nitish Kumar is the chief minister. It is our (Congress's) responsibility to ensure that there is no corrup ion in Bihar,“ suggesting it's Congress that will stop corruption in the state. Tyagi declined to comment on this.

Then, asked by students why Congress aligned with RJD despite Lalu Yadav's con viction for corruption, Rahul aid, “But Lalu Yadavjiis not in he government. His sons have aid there will be zero toler ance to corruption.“

Reacting to this, RJD secretary general Mundrika Singh Yadav said, “The coun ry's political scenario keeps changing. We all recently saw Rahul, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar on one platform in Patna... Rahul and Laluji even hugged each other during the programme.

“The nation wants to see all secular parties on one platform to thwart any nefar ous bid of communal forces.

n such a scenario, if any eader has any problem with he secular image of Lalu Prasad, he is free to take a separate line. But people of this country will not forgive such eaders,“ she added.