Lalu Prasad Yadav to be absent in Sonia’s Bihar rallies

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav managed to persuade the Congress to ally with his party in Bihar and even had his way in the seat-sharing pact, but he will not attend the rallies Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are going to address in the state.

The Congress, contesting in 12 of Bihar’s total 40 constituencies in alliance with the RJD and the NCP (one seat), badly needs the RJD’s support to ensure the victory of its candidates.

But the RJD boss, who faces accusations from Congress leaders of having “short-changed” the national party in the seat-sharing deal, seems uninterested in joining the two top Congress leaders in their rallies. Mr Yadav has, however, already campaigned for some Congress candidates.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are set to address a rally each in Aurangabad and Sasaram on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

While Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar of the Congress is the alliance candidate in Sasaram, former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar of the Congress is contesting in Aurangabad. Both the constituencies are going to the poll in the first phase on April 10.

“The entire battle in Bihar is being fought under my leadership. We all wholeheartedly welcome Rahuljee and madam (Sonia Gandhi) and others who are coming to campaign,” said Mr Yadav to journalists when asked about not joining the two Congress stalwarts at their rallies.

Mr Yadav is currently fully engrossed in the campaigns statewide, speaking in nearly five rallies each day.

“It is not necessary that leaders must campaign jointly. There is no such tradition. Both Congress and RJD have full understanding over the alliance and there is absolutely no rift,” said state Congress vice-president and media in-charge Premchand Mishra.