Lalu in Muzaffarnagar: Modi, Kejriwal nothing in front of Rahul

On a visit to relief camps of riot victims in Muzaffarnagar, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday blamed both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party for the communal violence here even as he heaped praise on Rahul Gandhi, saying Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal were nothing in front of the Congress vice-president.

"Kejriwal and Modi are nothing in front of Rahul. Rahul Gandhi is Rahul Gandhi. You guys have put them (Kejriwal, Modi) on the moon. It is you, who give them publicity. What have they done so far," the RJD chief said, adding his party will tie up with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls.

Lalu, whose visit to the area comes a week after the Congress vice president's unannounced visit to the camps in Shamli last Sunday, echoed Rahul's views that those living in camps should go back to their villages.

"We have come here to wipe away the tears of the victims. They should go back to their homes. Government should facilitate that," Lalu told reporters.

Slamming Aam Admi Party, he said the party is doing a "drama" by renouncing facilities such as vehicles with read-beacon cars, security, etc.

"AAP is talking about corruption, they themselves are corrupt, he alleged.

Training his guns on Modi and his close aide Amit Shah, whom the RJD chief described as the Gujarat Chief Minister’s "general manager for communalising society", Lalu said, "He (Shah) is spoiling the whole atmosphere. He is ... currently their warhorse here".

"RSS, Modi and Amit Shah, who is working here (in Uttar Pradesh) are well-known for this and see the riots happened. People used to live here together but the riots happened...

"Communal violence erupted in UP after Amit Shah was sent to handle the party's poll campaign here. He is spoiling the atmosphere of the state," he alleged.

He said, "The BJP is the country's enemy, we are BJP's enemy."

"The powers, which were once propagating the rumour that Lord Ganesha is consuming milk, are trying to communalise the whole society and promote both external and internal divisions. Youths are the main victims of this," he said.

Lalu is considered a popular leader among the minority community and his party RJD had been in power in Bihar for 15 years largely on the basis of Muslim-Yadav combination.

Image: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav