"Eat Fish, Elephant, Horse, Why Show?": Rajnath Singh Slams Tejashwi Yadav

Those in jail and out on bail are talking about sending Prime Minister Narendra Modi to jail, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said today in a scathing reply to RJD MP and Lalu Yadav's daughter Misha Bharti. In another barb aimed at RJD leader and Mr Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav, Mr Singh alleged that some leaders were posting visuals of non-vegetarian food during Navratri to appease a section of voters.

"You are eating fish during Navratri. What message do you want to send? You eat whatever you want, fish, pig, pigeon, elephant or horse. What is the need to show? This is only for votes, for appeasement politics. They think people of a particular religion will vote for them because of this. Lalu ji, I request you to handle such people," Mr Singh said at a party meeting at Bihar's Jamui. He was there to bolster support for Arun Bharti, NDA candidate and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan's brother-in-law.

The Defence Minister's remarks were a swipe at Tejashwi Yadav's recent video in which he is seen munching on fish. The video, which was posted after Navratri began, sparked a massive row. The BJP's Giriraj Singh slammed the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister for being a "seasonal Sanatani" and accused him of practising appeasement politics.

Mr Yadav responded by pointing out that the video was from before Navratri. "We had uploaded this video to test the IQ of the BJP and Godi media followers and we were proved right in our thinking. The tweet says "Dinank" i.e. Date, but what do the poor blind followers know?" he said.

Referring to Lalu Yadav as his friend, he said, "What are his family members saying? They are saying that if they form the government, they will put Modi ji in jail." He then used the Hindi idiom, "Na nau man tel hoga na, na radha nachegi" -- used to refer to promises that are highly unlikely to be fulfilled. "Those who are in jail or out on bail will send Modi ji to jail? The people of Bihar will tolerate everything, but not this," he said.

Earlier, Ms Bharti had told the media that if the people of the country gives a chance to the INDIA bloc in the upcoming polls, "all BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, will be put in jail".

During his rally in Jamui, Mr Singh listed the achievements of the Narendra Modi government, including the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 and the construction of Ram Temple. "Ram Lalla has left his hut and entered his palace. No one can stop Ram Rajya in India now," he said.

"The whole world is saying Narendra Modi is going to become Prime Minister for the third time. Other countries have started inviting him for next year's events," he said, adding that this election is being seen as a "formality".

Praising Chirag Paswan, he said the young leader is the run-hitter on the NDA pitch and will score as many runs as needed. "I am sure he will fulfill the dreams of Ram Vilas Paswan," he said.