Will catch RSS-BJP by ear to get caste census done: Lalu Prasad
Patna, Sep 5: RJD president Lalu Prasad on Thursday vowed to ensure that a caste census is conducted, saying he will "catch the RSS-BJP by the ear" to make it happen.
The former Bihar chief minister made the remark at a function organised by his party to mark the birth anniversary of OBC stalwart Babu Jagdeo Prasad, whose aggressive style of political mobilisation had earned him the epithet "Lenin of Bihar".
"I will catch the RSS-BJP by the ear and make them get caste census done", said Prasad, evoking applause and laughter from the crowds.
The ailing septuagenarian, who nowadays rarely turns up at public functions, spoke for less than five minutes and in a weak voice though he remained the cynosure of all eyes at the RJD office which was choc-a-bloc with workers and supporters.
Earlier, his younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav gave a detailed speech in which the RJD's track record in safeguarding the interests of the backward classes were highlighted.
Yadav pointed out that his father, as the then Bihar CM, had ensured full implementation of Mandal Commission in the state while he, as the then deputy CM, played a key role in ensuring that a caste-based survey took place and quotas for deprived castes were raised as per the revised population estimates.
He also squarely blamed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who realigned with BJP-led NDA earlier this year, for the state's new reservation laws getting struck down by the Patna High Court.
"I had been saying since day one that we must get the laws included in ninth schedule of the Constitution. But Nitish Kumar failed to act in time. Even today, he is unable to leverage his position as the head of JD(U), on which the BJP is dependent for survival in power at the Centre".
Yadav also took a swipe at Kumar over his troubled equations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "the CM is now falling at the feet of the same man whose dinner plate he had snatched away".
The allusion was to the infamous cancellation of a dinner party Kumar had thrown for BJP leaders, including Modi, then his Gujarat counterpart, over a decade ago, and a recent video clip in which the Bihar CM appeared to be touching the feet of the PM.
The RJD leader also credited his party, which has four MPs in Lok Sabha and about as many in Rajya Sabha, for the Centre's withdrawal of lateral entry in bureaucracy which he saw as "an indirect attempt to do away with reservations".
Yadav, who has been trying to win over social groups other than the RJD's core base of Muslims and Yadavs, also pointed out that his party gave the highest number of tickets to Kushwahas, who revered Babu Jagdeo Prasad.
"I hereby demand Bharat Ratna for Babu Jagdeo Prasad", said Yadav, adding "let all backward classes come together and not get swayed by BJP's divisive tactics. I promise that we will continue to give Kushwahas their due in the assembly polls due next year".
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FIR against Haryana BJP chief in gang-rape case: Cong seeks his removal, questions PM's 'silence'
New Delhi, Jan 15: The Congress Wednesday slammed the BJP over the FIR registered against the party's Haryana unit chief for alleged gang rape, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer why the accused has still not been removed from the post despite such a serious allegation against him.
Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and a singer were booked after a woman alleged that she was raped by them in a hotel in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli. Police have registered an FIR against the two men, officials said.
According to the complainant, the two men made videos of the act and threatened to kill the victim if she informed anyone about the incident.
Addressing a press conference here, Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba alleged that the Haryana BJP state president was involved in the girl's gang rape on the pretext of getting her a permanent government job.
She claimed BJP leaders have been involved in committing crimes against women earlier too.
BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual harassment and BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was accused of rape, while in Karnataka, the BJP gave a poll ticket to "mass rapist" Prajwal Revanna and the Prime Minister went to campaign for him, she said.
"BJP leaders are able to muster the courage to commit sexual harassment because their party is standing with them," she said, alleging that the prime minister's 'Beti Bachao' slogan is a sham.
"The truth is that daughters have to be saved from BJP leaders only. The Congress government will not allow injustice to happen to any daughter," Lamba said.
Demanding that Badoli be removed from his post, the Congress leader said, "BJP president J P Nadda ji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, the law is in your hands. You create pressure, hence no action is taken against the criminals and daughters do not get justice."
"The BJP will have to answer how their (Haryana) state president is still in his post after such a serious allegation. The prime minister, home minister, BJP Mahila Morcha, BJP's national president and big leaders must answer," she said.
"On one hand, an FIR has been filed against Haryana BJP president on rape charges... in Madhya Pradesh, BJP leader Ajit Pal Singh Chauhan has been arrested for raping a woman. In such an environment, the Women’s Commission, which has the responsibility of providing justice to women, is silent. The daughters of the country are demanding justice, but PM Modi is silent," Lamba said.
Referring to the BJP's Delhi Assembly poll candidate Ramesh Bidhuri's remark that he will make roads which will be like Congress leader "Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks", Lamba said the comments prove how much respect his party has for women.
"Bidhuri's eyes are more on the cheeks of mothers, sisters and daughters than on the roads. Women protested against the lowly statement, after which he had to apologize. However, Bidhuri is continuously making objectionable statements," she said.
The BJP is silent over Bidhuri's statements and is promoting such language instead, the Mahila Congress chief claimed.
