'Those Talking Of Negligence Were...': Ravi Shankar's Swipe At Lalu's Remark Over Odisha Train Crash
The former Union minister was responding to journalists' questions at a press conference held at the BJP's Bihar headquarters to highlight the Modi administration's achievements in nine years.
On the day after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president blamed the Balasore triple train crash on ''negligence'' of railways by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday (June 4) raked up "scams" during Lalu Prasad's tenure as Railway Minister. The former Union minister was responding to journalists' questions at a press conference held at the BJP's Bihar headquarters to highlight the Modi administration's achievements in nine years.
When it was pointed out that Prasad had spoken of ''negligence'' and accused the Modi government of ''destroyed railways'' the day before, Prasad responded that the former Bihar CM was embroiled in a number of "scams" and was busy securing bail.
''His accomplishments as Railway Minister are on display for all to see. He is under investigation in both the land for hotels and the land for jobs scams, and is currently awaiting bail in both cases,'' joked Prasad, a former law and justice minister quoted as saying by PTI.
He also chastised opposition parties for ''doing politics'' over the accident, which killed hundreds of people, and claimed that the government was doing everything possible.
''The Prime Minister visited the accident site himself, and the Railway Minister is camping there,'' Prasad said. The BJP leader, who represents Patna Sahib in the Lok Sabha, also requested clarification from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's reported statement that the Muslim League was a "secular party."
''It is the party in charge of the country's partition. We'd like to know what Nitish Babu thinks about the statement,'' Prasad said. Kumar was a BJP ally until August of last year when he left to join the 'Mahagathbandhan,' which includes the Congress, RJD, and the Left. Prasad, who was joined at the press conference by local MLAs Nitin Nabin and Nand Kishore Yadav, claimed that the country's growth over the last nine years has benefited the entire country, "including Bihar and the city of Patna."
''The most important thing is that it has been an honest government, unlike previous regimes that led then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to admit that only 15 paise of every rupee spent by the government could actually reach the people,'' Prasad said.
''This government has also not been afraid to take bold steps in the national interest. Infrastructure development along the Chinese border has been accelerated. There is no sign of the previous Manmohan Singh government's fear of upsetting the mighty neighbour,'' claimed Prasad.
''Mahakal Corridor, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, and Ram Janmabhumi bear testimony to the Modi government's unwavering commitment to the preservation of the country's spiritual and cultural heritage,'' Prasad said, emphasising his pride in having appeared as ''the counsel for Ram Lala'' in the Ayodhya title suit.
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