PATNA: A day after the end of sixth phase of polling in Bihar’s eight Lok Sabha constituencies on Sunday, a post ,written in the form of an ‘open-letter and made public through the official account of RJD chief Lalu Yadav’s facebook, created a political storm early on Monday morning in Bihar ahead of final phase of elections, scheduled on May 19.
Targeting Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, imprisoned RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has started his letter addressing Nitish Kumar by a younger brother, “Listen, younger brother Nitish Kumar. It seems that you have nurtured a lot of hatred against the light (Ujala). You keep reciting Lalu, and the flame of this lantern day long now. Don’t you know lantern is synonymous with light?” The letter further reads that the lantern is a symbol of love and brotherhood and a tool of dispelling darkness form the lives of poor people.
“But your symbol-Arrow (its JDU’s party symbol) is a weapon, which begets violence. It symbolises conflicts and violence together”, Lalu said ahead. The letter goes on to say that the people are in need of lantern because the lantern stands with them in all circumstances.
He mocked bitterly by writing that why he has been carrying an arrow in the age of missile and projectiles. “Now, days of the arrow have gone down and it has virtually become a thing to be preserved in the museum. But lantern will continue spreading light to over 11 crore people. You have stabbed the people with an arrow and rest you know whether you want to piece the arrow into the lotus or hide it under the lotus”, the letter ends with these lines.
This was the third time in recent time when an open letter has been shared through social media. Recently, Rabri Devi, former CM and wife of Lalu Prasad Yadav, and his younger son Tejashawi Yadav had shot off letters to the people of Bihar accusing the NDA of perpetuating tortures on Lalu Prasad Yadav out of political vendetta.
Reacting against the Monday’s post of Lalu Prasad Yadav on FB, Sanjay Singh of JD (U) attacked vehemently on Lalu Prasad Yadav and raised the question as to how (Lalu Prasad Yadav) could write a letter from prison. “I demand a probe into this from Jharkhand government. The letter amounts to a case of violation of jail manual”, Singh said, adding that days of the lantern had ended; not the days of the arrow. “The arrow is strong enough to safeguard the people of Bihar from the terror of lantern. The era of the lantern has become a thing of past”, he said.
On the other hand, Congress party’s spokesperson Prem Chandra Mishra came out in support of letter shared on Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Fb account. He said: “Laluji party is authorised to share his letter on any platform of social media with his consent. Why the JD (U) is so scared of it, if all is well in elections?” he said.