Lalu's sons Tejpratap and Tejasvi
At his grand comeback rally in Patna today, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said "no one can save his government because everyone is dissatisfied with it." He also called Mr Kumar, who is the JD(U) chief, a "parrot" of the RSS and the BJP.
When asked why the meeting of his supporters was called the "parivartan" rally, he said this was because it was aimed at bringing the "parivartan" or change that the people of Bihar were seeking.
Hitting back at the RJD chief, the Bihar Chief Minister dubbed him as a man who speaks too much. "Lalu is badbola (one who speaks too much). We don't comment on people who speak too much. There are some people, who are in the habit of speaking something or the other all the time. I don't reply to them," he told reporters.
At the mega rally, Lalu also introduced his two sons - Tejpratap and Tejasvi - to his supporters. While the RJD maintains that the rally was aimed at bringing change in Bihar, Lalu's rivals allege that it was an excuse to install his sons in positions of prominence in the RJD.
Speaking to NDTV at the rally, his sons said the young generation of Bihar wants the RJD chief to be the next chief minister. They also said they would help their father bring the "parivartan" or change that Bihar wanted. Both Tejpratap and Tejasvi were actively involved in organizing the rally.
While Tejpratap runs an automobile business in Aurangabad, Tejasvi is a former cricketer who was once also part of the Delhi Daredevils IPL team. During the 2010 Assembly elections, Tejasvi had campaigned with senior party leaders.
The party ensured the rally venue, Gandhi Maidan, was packed to capacity for Lalu's address. It had booked 13 trains from different destinations in Bihar and Jharkhand to carry people to Patna for the rally and paid the Railways Rs. 1.11 crore for this.