In a bold and controversial statement, RJD president Lalu Prasad claimed on Friday that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is “weak” and could “fall” as early as within a month. Prasad made this prediction during an event commemorating 28 years of his party’s formation, which he founded by splitting the Janata Dal.
Prasad, speaking in a frail voice for less than 10 minutes with his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav by his side, urged party workers to be prepared for the government’s potential collapse. “The Modi government is weak (kamzor). It can fall any time. It can fall in August,” he stated.
The RJD leader highlighted the party’s improved performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, noting an increase in both seat count and vote share compared to five years ago. “For quite some time, we have been the single largest party in the Bihar assembly. Unlike many others, we have never compromised on ideology,” Prasad said. He also reminisced about his tenure and achievements, including the arrest of BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in 1990.
The BJP promptly dismissed Prasad’s remarks, with Union Minister Nityanand Rai accusing the ailing septuagenarian of “hallucinating.” Rai used the colloquial Hindi phrase “Mungeri Lal ke hasin sapne” to describe Prasad’s claims. “People have voted for Modi, who is now serving a record third term. Under his leadership and guided by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the NDA in Bihar will continue to defeat the opposition, which was disgraced during RJD’s rule,” Rai asserted.
Prasad’s statement came at a time when most leaders of the NDA were attending a BJP function to felicitate newly inducted Union ministers from Bihar. Despite the BJP’s strong rebuttal, sources within both the RJD and NDA, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that Prasad’s remarks were a calculated move to exploit any potential instability within the ruling coalition.
