Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always trying to “create confusion” among opposition parties with issues such as ‘One Nation, One Election’, Bharat-India debate and Sanatana Dharma controversy, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) national president Lalu Prasad Yadav said Thursday.
“(Modiji) kuchha se kuchha kartey rahtey haini, ISRO ko sach much unko Surya ke paas bhej dena chahiye tha. Wahi se dekhtey rahte (Modiji keeps doing something or the other. ISRO should have sent him to the Sun from where he could have viewed India). All this will not help (BJP) this time,” Yadav told ThePrint, repeating what he had said at a press conference after Opposition bloc INDIA’s meeting in Mumbai last week.
The former Bihar chief minister was talking about speculation that India may be renamed ‘Bharat’. On the controversy sparked by President Droupadi Murmu’s invites for the 9 September dinner on G-20 Summit sidelines mentioning her as ‘President of Bharat’, Yadav asked, “(And) what is Modiji going to do with the currency? Will he remove ‘India’ from the currency notes?”
The RJD leader said that the modalities of seat-sharing among INDIA constituents would be finalised “at the state level”. In Bihar, for instance, sources in the ruling coalition told ThePrint about the initial seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections — 16 seats each to RJD and Janata Dal (United), five for the Congress, one each for Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI-ML) and Communist Party of India (CPI) and one possibly for Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) if he decides to join the alliance.
Sources further said that some of the seats may need to be swapped as well, such as Jehanabad and Sitamarhi where the JD(U) has a sitting MP but the RJD is keen to contest. However, Yadav said: “The seat-sharing formula would be revealed only when they are finalised.”
Talking about the viral video in which was seen teaching Congress leader Rahul Gandhi how to cook Champaran mutton, the former Bihar CM said, “He came to my house in Delhi on 4 August. I showed him how to mix the masala and cook it. He liked it so much that he even took some for his sister.”
On whether he gave some lessons in politics to the Congress leader, Yadav said, “What can I teach Rahul about politics? But I can say that he has matured a lot.”
Interestingly, Lalu’s relationship with Rahul Gandhi had soured in 2013 when the latter had denounced an ordinance that was seen as one to protect the RJD chief because of his impending conviction in a fodder scam case.
The ordinance, which the then UPA government subsequently withdrew, was to nullify the Supreme Court verdict striking down Section 8(4) of the Representation of People Act which gave convicted lawmakers a three-month protection from disqualification.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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