Where was Double Engine for Migrants During Lockdown, Asks RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad

RJD President Lalu Prasad may be in jail but cannot keep away from Bihar politics, jumping virtually into the campaigning on Sunday, ahead of the second round of the Assembly polls, to take up Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “double engine” remark.

“It is not a double engine but it is a trouble engine government in Bihar,” Lalu Prasad said from his official Twitter handle.

Where was the “double engine” when migrants from the state had to be brought back during the lockdown, he asked.

He was reacting to Modi’s statement, at his Chapra rally, that Bihar has a double engine government meant for development, referring to his party and the Janata Dal-United, while the opposition has a “double Yuvraj”, a jibe at Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav.

Tejashwi Yadav also reacted sharply on the PM’s “double engine” statement.

“If he has double engine government in Bihar, then why is unemployment rate in Bihar 46.6 per cent,” he asked.

The young RJD leader also asked why the Niti Aayog had ranked the state last on education and health, while NCRB reports cite the highest crime rate in Bihar and why migration took place in such a large number.

“Youths of every second house in Bihar are going to other states to earn their livelihood,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “PM Narendra Modi, during the 2015 Assembly election, said that Nitish Kumar is having mindset of the 18th century and today, he is saying it is a double engine government in Chapra rally. The reality is Bihar is having a double betrayal government. One of them is ‘Jumlebaaz’ (BJP) and other is ‘Dhokhebaaz’ (JD-U) and people of Bihar will deal with them.”

Lalu Prasad is currently lodged in Ranchi jail after conviction in various cases pertaining to the fodder scam. He managed to obtain bail in three of the cases and hearing in fourth case is scheduled on November 9.