Lalu congratulates Nitish, but not BJP

PATNA - Stating that he respected the mandate of the people, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Wednesday congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the victory of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine in the assembly elections.

We respect the mandate of the people, we congratulate the new government, Lalu Prasad said, addressing a joint press conference with LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan.

However, he said he would not congratulate the BJP as he “hates” the party for its communal views.

We are not discouraged, we will do our duty as the opposition, he said as the results indicated a complete rout for the RJD, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) alliance.

The RJD leader said there was some mystery behind the landslide victory and many seats won were from areas that were not strongholds of either the BJP or the JD-U.

I am not accusing anyone, but there is some mystery in their victory, we will find out, he said.