Lalu Prasad Yadav takes dig at Nitish Kumar, says 'Palturam' almost non-existent in Bihar, BJP calling shots

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday took a dig at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar saying he is almost non-existent in the ruling dispensation in the state and the BJP is calling the shots. [caption id=“attachment_3788345” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI[/caption] Prasad said this while talking to reporters during which he urged the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other Opposition parties to join him in his protest against demonetisation by organising rallies on 8 November, the day high-value notes were scrapped last year. Without naming Kumar, his former ally, he said, “Palturam (turncoat) is almost non-existent in the ruling dispensation in the state. It is Sushil Modi and the BJP who are calling the shots.” Replying to a query on Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi’s allegations against his family in benaami land deal cases, Prasad claimed, “He (Sushil Modi) himself is making a lot of money. He has chosen his portfolios with this purpose in mind.” During an interaction with reporters on Sunday, Prasad had announced anti-demonetisation rallies in 38 districts of Bihar. “Note ban yielded no result in terms of putting a check on black money flow, but broke the backs of common people and small businessmen. Even before they could recover from the impact of demonetisation, the Narendra Modi government implemented GST,” he said. The former chief minister said he enjoyed the support of like-minded parties on the issue. “I urge the Congress, the Left and the TMC to hold similar agitations in their areas of influence,” the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, who had organised an anti-government rally in August to bring all Opposition parties on board, said. Several Opposition parties on Tuesday announced that they would observe 8 November, the first anniversary of demonetisation, as ‘black day’ and would hold protests across the country to highlight its “ill-effects” on the economy.