‘No change in leadership, Lalu will be out soon’

On a day when RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was handed a five-year jail term, the party leaders alleged a political conspiracy by the BJP and the JD(U) against their leader. The RJD leaders ruled out a change in the party leadership, while expressing hope that Mr Yadav would soon be out of jail. “Laluji is a victim of a political conspiracy. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and BJP has an important role in this conspiracy. We will go to people on the issue,” said RJD leader and MP Ramkripal Yadav. He claimed that the RJD chief is innocent and has been punished because he was championing the cause of the poor. Mr Yadav also claimed that those who made money in the fodder scam are moving outside freely. “It was Laluji who lodged the case in the scam and got 45 FIRs registered but he has now been jailed,” added Mr Yadav. Another close aide of the RJD chief and senior party leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh refuted claims about an impending change in the party leadership. He said that the change was not required, as Mr Yadav will soon be out of jail on bail. “Lalu is himself available. What crisis if somebody is absent for five-10 days ” asked Mr Prasad, who added that the party will soon move an appeal in the high court. He further added, “I have given him the Gita and by the time he reads half of the scripture, he will be out of jail.”