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Lalu Prasad not to attend Raul Gandhi's Bihar rally

by IBNS 15 Sep 2015, 07:52 am

Patna, Sept 15 (IBNS) In what could be an indication of "all is not well" within the anti-BJP alliance in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad will skip partner Rahul Gandhi's rally on Saturday.

Media reports quoted a spokesman of the RJD as saying that Lalu Prasad will be busy campaigning for his party.

Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav will represent their party at  Gandhi's rally.  

 Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will,  however, attend Rahul's rally in Bihar's West Champaran district on September 19.

The RJD is in alliance with the ruling Janata Dal(U) and the Congress to put up resistance against the BJP and its allies in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections to be held in October-November.

Lalu had earlier skipped an Iftar dinner in Delhi hosted by  Congress President Sonia Gandhi, reportedly because he was upset about the prominence being given on Nitish Kumar, the projected Chief Minister of the Janata Parivaar or Grand Alliance.

According to political observers, Lalu Prasad is unhappy with Rahul Gandhi over his political approach and stand on some issues.

The relation between the two turned cold particularly after Rahul  objected to the then United Progressive Alliance government's ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers from disqualification in September 2013. Lalu was  convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam case by a CBI court in Ranchi.

The Champaran rally will be a big show of the grand alliance which earlier organised a 'Swabhiman rally' in Patna on August 30.  Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar attended the rally.