RJD chief Lalu Yadav at the party's national council meeting in Patna on Sunday (PTI)
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav today took a swipe at Prime Minister Narender Modi over
mob lynching in the name of cow protection. The RJD chief drew an analogy between a lion and a cow and how people who used to be afraid of the carnivorous beast are now more scared of the farm animal.
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Pahle log sher se darte the, ab gai se darte hain. Yeh sab Modi sarkar ki den hai (people used to be scared of the lion, now they are afraid of the cow, all this is the gift of Modi government)," the RJD chief said at a party meeting in Patna, news agency IANS reported.
The fear of cow protection gangs has become so intense that no one is bringing the farm animal to the Sonepur cattle fair in Bihar's Saran district, Lalu Yadav said.
The RJD chief went on to criticise the Modi government over last year's notes ban and the new national tax GST. "Modi may go for Lok Sabha polls in 2018, ahead of its scheduled time in 2019," the RJD chief said, and asked party workers to be ready to face early general elections.
Lalu Yadav, 69, was a key leader of the Grand Alliance that was disbanded in July this year after Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar eventually allied with the BJP over corruption charges against Lalu Yadav and his family.
Mr Yadav said his son Tejashwi Yadav was in touch with Gujarat's Patidar or Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel. "Young leaders like Hardik Patel and Tejashwi will uproot the communal forces from the country," he said. Tejashwi Yadav is also
facing corruption charges.
Sporadic incidents reported from across the country involving groups of people attacking whoever was found carrying cattle has fuelled fears that the police are not doing enough to stop the attacks.
PM Modi has warned people from taking the law into their hands in the name of cow protection.
(With inputs from IANS)