JD leaders lambast Centre, Bihar Govt

Yadav told the gathering that the two bills would spell doom for the nation. 8220;The BJP Government has dithered on its election manifesto, and instead of pursuing the policy of swadeshi, has buckled under World Bank pressure.8221;8220;Multinationals would not not have dared come to India if Karpoori Thakur had been alive,8221; Yadav said, adding that the so-called heirs of Karpoori Thakur Laloo Prasad Yadav had made Bihar 8220;a corrupt state.8221;

The JDpresident called upon the people to be prepared for a 8220;fight to finish8221; in order to rid the state8217;s nine crore people from the 8220;misrule of the Rabri-Laloo combine.8221;

He claimed that the party8217;s rally here on February 17 8212; the death anniversary of Karpoori Thakur 8212; would prove that people had turned away from the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal that had become 8220;synonymous with corruption.8221;

Paswan said the people of Bihar had become disillusioned with the BJP-Samata Party combine, the ruling RJD and Congress and were looking towards the Janata Dal to provide them with direction.

He alleged that the BJP-Samata combine was never serious about imposing Article 356 in Bihar as it deliberately avoided sending back the recommendations for imposing President8217;s Rule once it was rejected by President K R Narayanan.

Paswan added that Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray posed a greater danger to the country8217;s unity and integrity than Pakistan8217;s Inter-Services Intelligence, as propagated by the BJP.

Paswan claimedthat the BJP and Samata Party had forfeited peoples8217; confidence and the popularity they commanded during the Lok Sabha elections. He said the RJD rally on February 17 would deliberate on several issues such as not holding panchayat elections, corruption, communalism, non-payment of scholarship to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.

Several other senior leaders, including a minister in the Karnataka Government, Jai Kumar, addressed the meeting.