Modi, Nitish fooling Bihar's people by not according central status to Patna varsity: Lalu

Patna: RJD president Lalu Prasad on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were fooling the people of Bihar by not according central status to the Patna University (PU).

Modi, who earlier on Saturday attended the centenary celebrations of the varsity in Patna along with Kumar, said measures like grant of central status were a thing of the
past.

The prime minister said his government has taken "a step forward" towards making 10 private universities and 10 government ones world-class.

"Both of them (Modi as well as Kumar) are making fools of people of Bihar. They must have decided beforehand that one will propose and another would dispose it (proposal for central status to PU)," Prasad told reporters at Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan Airport on his arrival from New Delhi.

Prasad had served as president of PU students' union that provided vital support to the anti-Congress Jay Prakash Narayan movement in 1974.

The RJD chief has been on the offensive after the disintegration of the grand alliance government in Bihar in which his son Tejaswi Yadav was deputy chief minister.

During the function, Modi said the Centre will provide assistance of Rs 10,000 crore to 10 private universities and as many government ones for a period of five years.

"I exhort Patna University to seize this opportunity," he added.

Prasad, taking a swipe at Modi, said, "Will he (PM) be on the chair till that time?"

Asked why he did not attend Saturday's function at PU, Lalu said he did not get an invitation. "Even if I had got an invitation, I would not have gone to share dais with PM."