In a recent statement, RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav confidently declared that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would ‘run away’ following the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, predicting their imminent defeat.
The veteran politician, who has since entrusted the party’s leadership to his younger son Tejashwi Yadav, shared a cryptic yet witty post on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, ‘Chah aur gyarah, NDA nau do gyarah!‘ – a clever play on words referring to the two-phase elections on November 6 and 11, implying the NDA’s disappearance or ‘flight’ after the count.
Responding to Yadav’s remarks, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, a BJP leader and former RJD member, retorted sharply. He reminded Lalu Yadav that November 14, the date for vote counting, also happens to be Children’s Day, suggesting that ‘Lalu ji will discover who truly is a child (baccha) in Bihar politics on that very day.’
Meanwhile, JD(U) national secretary and state minister Ashok Choudhary dismissed Prasad’s comments, remarking, ‘Lalu ji has grown too old. How long should I keep speaking about him? In the upcoming elections, I only have my salutes to offer to him.’ Choudhary also noted his party’s preference for a single-phase poll, similar to Maharashtra, given Bihar’s smaller size. Despite this, he affirmed their readiness for the two-phase election.
Adding to the chorus of counter-statements, State Minister Santosh Kumar Suman, son of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, speculated, ‘Lalu ji must have made the prediction for himself, but may have written NDA by mistake.’ He further criticized the RJD’s past governance, claiming, ‘The last time RJD was in power for 15 years, Bihar regressed by 30 years. Tejashwi Yadav now promises to make a difference in 20 months, but he will take Bihar back by 40 years.’