Patna: Lalu Prasad was elected as president of his party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the ninth consecutive term on Sunday and used the occasion to launch a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not matching his "high voltage assertions on Pakistan before elections with deeds".
"You (Modi) used to brag about 56 inch chest and asserting that your future government will answer any misadventure from across the border eyeball to eyeball... So how did Pakistani terrorists enter our home in Pathankot and kill our brave soldiers?" he asked.
The country is not safe in the hands of BJP, he asserted, and urged secular forces to unite against it.
Prasad said after the "stupendous" victory in Bihar, he, along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, would work to unite secular forces across the country to oust BJP from "Hastinapur" (Delhi).
He attacked BJP for allegedly trying to create a rift between him and Kumar and said there is no "difference" between them.
"Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi raised a hue and cry when I visited IGIMS hospital and talked to civil surgeon of Darbhanga for reinstatement of four 'Mamata' (post birth care health official) staff in Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital. Before raising fingers at me, Sushil Modi and BJP should explain in what capacity RSS reviews functioning of Narendra Modi government," he said.
RJD National Election Officer Jagdanand Singh announced Prasad's re-election and handed over a certificate to him at a function at SK Memorial hall here.
Prasad has been at the helm of RJD since its inception in 1997 after he broke away from Janata Dal.
His wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi greeted him on his re-election by presenting him two roses much to the glee of shutterbugs.
Besides Rabri Devi, RJD vice-president Raghubansh Prasad Singh, his two minister sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav and a host of ministers of the state and leaders from different states were present at the function.
Prasad, known as champion of 'Mandal politics', demanded that the report of caste census be made public to highlight the status of landless who constitue around 51 percent of the population and sought formation of a separate ministry and a hefty allocation for welfare of the section in the general budget to be placed next month.
He threatened to launch an agitation in Patna and other parts of the country if caste census report was not made public.
The RJD chief also sought grant of special category status to Bihar, an issue regularly raked up by the Chief Minister and supported Kumar's decision to disallow the use of beacons in vehicles of Ministers and MLAs.
RJD, he said, would soon find a way to prohibit party workers and office bearers putting party flag and symbol on vehicles while moving around.
He complimented the "good work" done by his two sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap, members of the Nitish Kumar cabinet.
Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said Prasad would launch his national campaign from Varanasi soon.
He rubbished BJP criticism about "return of jungle raj" in Bihar and stated that the crime figure in BJP-ruled states was much more than in Bihar.
