Lalu makes political moves from jail, invitesTMC to join anti-BJP front

New Delhi, Apr 10: His incarceration in multiple fodder scams notwithstanding, the maverick Lalu Prasad Yadav, all-in-all of his ‘Bihar limited’ Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is making political moves from his cell to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lalu Yadav, who is currently convalescing at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, has sent a feeler to Trinmool Congress leader and Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee about joining the opposition parties against the BJP.

He sent this message to Mamta through her party’s Floor Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, when the latter visited Lalu Yadav at the AIIMS on Monday.

O’Brien said that Lalu Prasad Yadav has asked him to convey his message to Mamta ‘Didi’ to attend the opposition parties’ meeting slated in Patna later this month.

The meeting of the opposition parties at Patna scheduled for April 21, is reportedly aimed at sending a message of unity among the non-BJP parties against the BJP and will also be seen as an opportunity for senior opposition leaders to see which parties are really serious about exploring the possibility of any formidable alliance against the ruling BJP.

O’Brien said that he had an half an hour meeting with the RJD Supremo during which he conveyed Mamta Didi’s best wishes to him and spoke on many issues including politics.

The meeting of the opposition parties to be held on April 21, will come close on the heels of Mamta's interaction with opposition leaders during the parliament session and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's meeting with several parties in New Delhi last week. While Banerjee is keen to see a federal front taking on the BJP in 2019, Naidu snapped ties with BJP last month on demands for a special status for his state.

O'Brien's meeting with Lalu Prasad, who has been convicted in multiple fodder scam cases, assumes significance in the context of the opposition’s bid to form an alliance against the BJP in 2019. While the TMC wants the Congress to play a second fiddle in the alliance, the largest opposition party has already taken up the junior partner’s role in Bihar. RJD leader indicated that the Congress-RJD alliance will remain intact for 2019 polls.

While Banerjee has so far not warmed to join hands with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Lalu has made it clear that no alternative front can be formed sans Congress.