Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday created a political storm in Bihar by writing an open letter to chief minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that the JD(U)’s symbol “arrow” signifies “violence”. The letter is being seen as his reply to Nitish who has been taking a dig at Lalu and his party symbol “lantern” during election campaigns.
Lalu, who is serving sentence in the fodder scam case, is currently being treated for multiple serious ailments at a government hospital in Ranchi.
“Brother Nitish, it seems that you have developed a hatred for lights that’s why you keep chanting Lalu and lantern every day. You should know that lantern signifies light, love, and brotherhood. It removes darkness from the lives of poor people. But your arrow is a symbol of violence,” Lalu wrote in his letter.
“Who talks about arrows in the age of missiles. You can see arrows preserved only in museums these days,” he added.
Lalu also took a dig at Nitish by calling him “an opportunist”.
“You will not understand all these ideologies because you get scared and take short cut routes for your political gains. You used arrows to backstab 11 crore poor people of Bihar. You can now use that arrow either to shoot or hide in the flower that grows in the mud,” the letter said.
Reacting strongly, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar raised questions as to how Lalu could write a political letter from jail. He said that Rule 999 of Bihar Jail Manual prevents prisoners from writing a political letter.
“The rule is also applicable in Jharkhand where Lalu Yadav is serving a jail sentence. Being in prison he is only permitted to write letters to his family. I urge the Election commission to take cognisance of the matter and initiate stringent action against him”, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told this newspaper.
