The announcement of election dates on Wednesday has added to the crowd outside former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad’s 10-Circular Road residence in Patna. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief has consolidated his position in the last months to emerge as the most critical partner in the ‘Mahagath bandhan’ with the Janata Dal (United) and the Congress. In an interview to BusinessLine hours after elections to the Assembly were announ ced, Lalu explained why he accepted Nitish Kumar as the alliance’s leader, the importance of the Bihar poll in the national context and why he will not admit Jitan Ram Manjhi to the group again. Excerpts:

Elections have been announced but your candidate selection is not yet final. There is also the fact that the RJD did far better than the JD(U) in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in most seats it contested. Are you worried about rebel-lion in your ranks?

We are in the process of doing it. [Waves at the crowds waiting at the gate] Do you see these people? They all want tickets. We are sharing 100 seats each with 40 to the Congress. It is tough. But I’ll tell you something – I have decided that personal ambition and partisan interests have to be forgotten in this election. It is a question of saving the country. Lalu Yadav will make any sacrifice he has to keep the BJP from Bihar.

Is this why you accepted Nitish Kumar as your leader? 

You see what happened when we were all fighting. I was pulling Nitish’s leg, he was pulling mine.  Aur Congress to lohar ki bhatti jaise baith gayee. Koi aag phunkne wala nahin tha  (The Congress just gave up. There was no one in the last Lok Sabha elections to bring the Congress campaign to life.) Then you had Ramdev doing Yoga and Anna Hazare and this man who is now Delhi Chief Minister [gestures] what is his name… Kejriwal. They all attacked the Congress on black money and there was no one fighting the BJP and Narendra Modi. We gave the BJP no competition. We were so busy fighting among ourselves.

Modi came and promised all sorts of things. He said he will bring black money back and give ₹15 lakh to every Indian. You see, this is how the RSS functions, they are habitual liars. They know that people have short memories. They will forget what extraordinary promises he made to the farmers, to the women, to the youth.

I realised what a big mistake we had made. We let this  afwahbaaz  party (the party that spreads rumours) run away with an election. I am not going to make that mistake again. Now we are together, Nitish and I. Together, we have 45 per cent of vote in Bihar. Don’t believe the BJP when they tell you otherwise.

The BJP is saying that after NCP and SP, Lalu and Nitish will not stay together… 

That is why I told you, the BJP is an expert at spreading rumours. Don’t believe them. As I said, I am ready to sacrifice anything to keep them out of my State. I have been Chief Minister for so long, Rabri Devi has been CM. But this is not the time to pursue personal ambition.

We are told you are talking to Jitan Ram Manjhi. True? 

Who said that? People keep writing anything. What are we going to do with Manjhi? How will we accommodate him? Do you see how many ticket aspirants have lined up outside? Elections have been announced and everyone is rushing to Patna. Do you think I have time to entertain Manjhi now?

Do you agree that the BJP has an advantage, purely in terms of resources and organisational strength? 

What have they done with their strength and their power? We have 7-8 crore people begging in the streets. Every third person is landless, poverty, inequality is rising. And you have a scenario where a communal, fascist organisation like the RSS summoning Union Ministers and demanding their report card! What have we come to? They project Modi to say we are doing development. But don’t have any illusions about this bogus propaganda. They are only interested in fanning communal violence. They are sectarian people, they cannot think in any other way. Look at the timing of elections – festive season, religious feelings are running among Hindus and Muslims. And this is the time they announce elections. Do you think we do not understand all this?

The PM says you will bring Jungle Raj –II.

When I talk of the poor, they call it ushering in jungle raj. When I ask them to tell us what is the caste of the landless poor, the hawkers, the beggars, the daily wagers, they call me casteist. Is caste a reality in India or not? That is why I am demanding the release of census data. They are calling it Jungle Raj II only because, in reality, it is Mandal Raj II.

Also read: Lalu will ‘sacrifice’ personal ambitions to keep BJP out

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