By Anand Mishra
PATNA -- RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who has milked to the last drop Mohan Bhagwat's call for a review of the reservation policy, feels BJP's fate has been "sealed" by the RSS chief's remarks and claims a 1995-like situation prevails in Bihar when Janata Dal had emerged triumphant in "Mandal versus Kamandal" politics.
Under vicious attack from BJP for his "Hindus also eat beef remarks", he says he is a true "gopalak" (one who rears cows) and that his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi "washes the 'feet' of every new cow that comes home".
Surrounded by his supporters and sipping his favourite 'nimbu chai' after a string of election meetings, Lalu shows a book by M S Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS-- "Bunch of Thoughts".
"Golwalkar had said that reservation should be provided on economic basis. The present leadership of RSS is following the thought of its guru (Golwalkar). Dalits and Backwards got reservation after decades of struggle and they want to snatch it now," he told PTI in an interview.
He said there is a "pattern" behind behind Bhagwat s remarks.
"That is their original thought process. Their psyche is against SC/ST and OBC. What was their inner core, came out. They were caught red handed. And we galvanized the SC/ST and OBC against them, telling the weaker sections what the BJP is upto. This has sealed BJP's fate and finished their game, as the beneficiaries of social justice have come together," he said.
Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP publicly distancing themselves from Bhagwat's remarks, Lalu said it was not an "off the cuff" statement but a reflection of the "thought process" of the RSS and BJP.
"The grand alliance spread the word to every nook and corner of the state and this has led to a polarisation of the deprived classes against the NDA and that sealed its fate," Lalu, one of the most enduring symbols of Mandal politics, said.
The RJD chief also attacked Modi for his views on caste system.
"Modi had written in a book 'Karmyog' that Dalits do manual scavenging for spiritual delight. Why not people from RSS, including Bhagwat, take up this experience of spiritual delight. He is the Prime Minister of the country and he had written that. This is the thought process that wants the Dalits and OBCs to continue to suffer humiliation," he alleged.
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