Sushil Kumar Modi said the book by Lalu Yadav was full of "factual errors"
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today called jailed RJD chief Lalu Yadav's autobiography a "poorly written" book filled with factual mistakes. "I have gone through the autobiography. It's such a poorly written book," the senior BJP leader told reporters when asked for his opinion on the former Bihar chief minister's recently published book, "Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey". The book has been co-authored with former journalist Nalin Verma.
"I must have found at least 100 factual mistakes in the first four chapters," Mr Modi said.
He declined to comment on a claim by Lalu Yadav's wife Rabri Devi that the RJD chief was right in saying that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had sent feelers through former poll strategist and now the national vice president of JD(U) Prashant Kishor about his willingness to realign with the Grand Alliance.
"When Prashant Kishor has himself come out with his denial, the BJP has nothing to say about it," Mr Modi said, dismissing speculations that the claims made by Lalu Yadav hinted that all was not well between the BJP and the JD(U).
Mr Modi has known both Mr Kumar and Lalu Yadav since the 1970s when all three were active in student politics and had taken part in the JP movement.
In an interview to a private news channel a few months ago, Mr Modi had said he was close to Lalu Yadav at some point of time. "I have known Lalu Yadav from close quarters. I know him better than his wife does," the BJP leader had said.
In one of the autobiography's many excerpts that have been published in newspapers, Lalu Yadav accused Mr Modi of having complained to Jayaprakash Narayan that he consumed liquor.
"I told JP I drink toddy sometimes..." Lalu Yadav said in the book.