Freed Lalu likens himself to aloo

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was released from the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi on Monday, said “Lalu”, like “aloo” (potato) will remain relevant for the people.

The former chief minister of Bihar completed all the bail formalities in a special CBI court in Ranchi as directed by the Supreme Court and came out two and a half months after he was sentenced to five years in a fodder scam case.

Speaking at Deori, Lalu warned his opponents not to make the mistake of thinking that he would be eliminated from politics.

“When I went to jail, some people thought I had been finished. They should remember, ‘jab tak rahega aloo (potato), tab tak rahega Lalu,’” Lalu said in his brief address to a gathering near the Deori Temple, about 40 km from Ranchi.

“(Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi belongs to the capitalists. His party is a divisive party out to destroy the social fabric,” Yadav alleged while asking the people to stay away from “communal politics”.

Taking on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the RJD supremo alleged that the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) entered an “unholy marriage” and it ended in “divorce”.

“Both parties are perturbed after the divorce. The situation in Bihar is such that the JD-U and the BJP are now weeping after separation,” he said.

“The people will teach them a lesson in the next election when they will be finished,” he added.

Lalu has been lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail since September 30, after being convicted in a fodder scam case.

The RJD chief, another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and 43 others were on September 30 convicted by a special CBI court in the fodder scam case involving fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury during the Prasad-led RJD regime. The court had also slapped Rs 25 lakh fine on him.