Lalu Yadav Only Worried About Children's Political Career, Says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah came down heavily on former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad saying that the latter preferred to "sat on the lap of" the Congress party to make his son, Tejashwi Yadav the Chief Minister though the Congress has always opposed the backward and extremely backward classes.

"Today Lalu Yadav, for the sake of power politics, to make his son the Chief Minister, has gone and sat in the lap of the Congress party, which has spent its entire life opposing the backward and extremely backward classes," Mr Shah said while campaigning at Bihar's Sitamarhi on Thursday.

Slamming the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief for not conferring the Bharat Ratna to former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, Mr Shah said that Mr Yadav is only worried regarding the political career of his children.

"Recently, PM Modi presented the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur. I would like to ask Lalu Prasad if he had remembered giving Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur in the 25 years he was in power at the Centre and the state. You won't remember that. You have only thought of you son and daughters," Mr Shah said.

Mr Shah said that the Opposition did not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir fearing their vote bank, the BJP is not scared of theirs.

"During Pran Pratishtha, Lalu Prasad, his son, Mr Kharge, Rahul baba were invited but no one came. They fear their vote bank. We, the Bharatiya Janata Party do not get scared of 'vote bank'," the senior BJP leader said.

Mr Shah also attacked Congress for pushing back reports of Backward Commission for a long time.

"The first report to give reservation to backward and extremely backward classes came in 1955 by Kaka Kalelkar. It was the time of Congress rule. Rahul's grandmother's father used to be in power. They held back the report and for years backward and extremely backward classes did not get reservation. Then the Mandal commission report came. Rahul's grandmother held back that report...," the Union Home Minister said.

Mr Shah also promised to build a grand memorial at the birthplace of Ma Sita saying that only the BJP government can make the ideal temple.

"PM Modi has built the temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. That work is complete. Now the work that is left is to build a grand memorial at the birthplace of Ma Sita," the Union Home Minister said.

"Those who kept themselves away from Ram Lalla temple can't do this. If someone can build a memorial as ideal as Ma Sita who is known for her sacrifice and penance, it is Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. We will construct such a grand temple that it will attract the world's attention to Sitamarhi," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)