Tie old cows outside BJP men's houses, see if they care: Lalu

RJD chief Lalu Prasad today asked his party workers to tie old, non-milking cows outside the houses of BJP leaders to see if they really cared for the animal.

He asked his party men to do so to substantiate his allegation that the BJP and the RSS are using the issue of cow protection for garnering votes. "BJP leaders and those linked to the RSS are targeting the people belonging to minority communities in the name of gau raksha. They are not doing it for milk but for votes ... Look for old, non-milking cows and tie them outside their houses to see how they treat the animal," he told a RJD national executive meeting.

"Even if the BJP leaders beat you with sticks, bear it and do not resist. We need to show if they are really concerned about cow service," he said.

Prasad slammed the Narendra Modi government over a spurt in attacks on security personnel, saying the prime minister, who talked of a 56-inch chest before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and patted his own back for surgical strikes in PoK, should answer how Pakistani soldiers are entering the Indian territory and beheading our jawans.

The RJD chief, who played a major role in the Mandal movement of 1990 that aimed at ensuring social justice in the country, alleged that the BJP was now "rushing to garland the statues of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar but was doing nothing to uplift deprived sections".

He accused the BJP and the RSS of making efforts to scrap reservation in government jobs and demanded that quota be introduced for three of the four seats of the Shankaracharyas.

The RJD chief also asked his party men to desist from making any comments that could led to strains in the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar. "Do not cut off the branch you are sitting on," he told them.

Seven resolutions were passed in the national executive meeting, including one seeking reservation for SCs and STs in the judicial services. The RJD national executive is being held after a two-day training camp to prepare party workers for the 2019 general elections.

Rabri Devi, RJD vice-president Raghubansh Prasad Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, his minister brother Tej Pratap Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti and party spokesman Manoj Jha were among those who attended the meeting.