Patna: Bihar witnessed a war of words with both the ruling NDA and main opposition RJD taking jibes against each other over justification of Lalu Prasad's Chetawani rally, which climaxed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanding an immediate meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) to discuss alleged misuse of central resources by Lalu.

The month-long campaign by the railway minister and RJD boss Lalu Prasad to mobilise support for the rally held at the historic Gandhi maidan, Oct 28 seeking to kickstart a campaign for ouster of the Nitish Kumar government was mired in controversy with the ruling coalition charging Prasad with rampant misuse of the resources of the central government an the railways for canvassing support for his rally.

Prasad addressing the rally predicted early fall of the Nitish government and exhorted upon the party's committed supporters, especially Dalits, Muslims and weaker sections, besides the forward castes, to vote him back to power.

The Tehlka expose gave him more fire power to step up offensive against the BJP and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Gujarat assembly elections. The Railway minister said he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek action against the Gujarat Chief Minister in the wake of the Tehelka expose.

"No no more evidence is needed. The Tehelka tapes are sufficient evidence to book Modi under section 302 and place him and other perpetrators of the communal carnage orchestrated by the saffron outfits under the arrest", he demanded. As Prasad asked Bihar Chief Minister Kumar to explain
to the nation his secular credentials for continuing in power on the support of the communal BJP, Kumar hit back against the railway minister accusing the latter of having blatantly misused the resources of centre for his rally here.

Kumar requested Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to call an immediate meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) to discuss the issue.
"The gross misuse of the resources of the central government under his capacity of being railway minister for organising a rally against a democratically-elected state government is an onslaught on the federal spirit of the country. I urge prime minister to call an immediate meeting of
the NDC", kumar said at the rally.

Source : PTI