JD(U) symbol ‘arrow’ signifies violence, Lalu Yadav tells Nitish Kumar

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Yadav on Monday created a political storm in Bihar by writing an open letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and claiming that JD(U)'s symbol “arrow” signifies “violence”.

Mr. Yadav is serving a sentence in the fodder scam case and currently being treated for multiple serious ailments at a government hospital in Ranchi. The letter is being seen as his reply to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has been taking a dig at Lalu Yadav and his party’s symbol “lantern” during election campaigns in Bihar.

“Brother Nitish it seems that you have developed a hatred for lights that’s why you keep chanting Lalu and lantern every day. You should know that lantern signifies light, love, and brotherhood. It removes darkness from the lives of poor people. But your arrow is a symbol of violence,” RJD chief Lalu Yadav wrote in his letter.

He said “Who talks about arrows in the age of missiles. You can see arrows preserved only in museums these days.” In his letter, Lalu Yadav also took a dig at Nitish Kumar by calling him “an opportunist”.

“You will not understand all these ideologies because you get scared and take short cut routes for your political gains. You used arrows to backstab 11 crore poor people of Bihar. You can now use that arrow either to shoot or hide in the flower that grows in the mud", Lalu Yadav said in his letter.

His letter comes ahead of the crucial seventh phase of polls in Bihar. Lalu Yadav has been convicted in four fodder scam cases estimated to have caused a loss of Rs 950 crore to the exchequer when he was the Chief Minister of Bihar. Political analysts, however, claim that despite being in jail Lalu Yadav has made his presence felt in this election through his social media posts.

Reacting strongly JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar raised questions as to how Lalu Yadav could write a political letter from jail. He said that rule 999 of Bihar Jail Manual prevents prisoners from writing a political letter. “The rule is also applicable in Jharkhand where Lalu Yadav is serving a jail sentence. Being in prison he is only permitted to write letters to his family. I urge the Election commission to take cognizance of the matter and initiate stringent action against him,” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told this newspaper.