Patna: The Janata Dal-United (JDU) on Saturday contradicted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah's claim that the party had given the first Prime Minister from the OBC community. The JDU also hit out at the ally-turned-rival for its alleged attempt to sell Narendra Modi as a "caste leader" in view of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
"Amit Shah is wrong in claiming that BJP gave the first OBC prime minister. Chaudhary Charan Singh and HD Deve Gowda hailing from OBC have occupied the post earlier," said JDU general secretary K C Tyagi.
Citing BJP's victory in Bihar Legislative Council poll, Shah had on Friday said that the Janata Parivar proved to be a damp squib and claimed his party had given the "first prime minister" and "maximum chief ministers from the community."
Tyagi made a scathing attack at the BJP for trying to "sell" the prime minister as a caste leader. "In Gujarat he was known as 'Hindu hriday samrat'. During Parliamentary election he sought vote in the name of development. In Delhi polls, Narendra Modi was presented as a 'vikash purush' (development messiah) but in Bihar he is portrayed as an OBC leader," the JDU leader said.
"We wish to know from BJP what his (PM) real identity is," he said taking a jibe at the saffron party. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also took potshots at the BJP for "falsely" claiming Narendra Modi as the first OBC prime minister of the country.
He too cited the name of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to contradict Amit Shah's claim. Kumar himself hails from OBC caste.
The JDU general secretary, who is in Patna to take part in an 'Iftar' party organised by the Chief Minister on Saturday, also criticised BJP for injecting "poison of casteism" ahead of the Bihar elections.
"During the anniversary function of poet Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', PM won claps of people for talking against casteism. But BJP is trying to sell him as OBC leader in Bihar poll," he alleged.
On the poll outcome of the secular alliance in th election to the 24 seats of the Legislative Council from local bodies, Tyagi emphasised the need for "soul-searching" by alliance parties to have more cohesiveness at ground level during Assembly elections.
"We must close ranks and have more cohesiveness at the ground level during Bihar Assembly elections," Tyagi, a close confidante of party President Sharad Yadav, said. JDU, RJD, Congress alliance could win 10 seats out of a total of 24 while BJP-led NDA cornered 12 and the rest two were won by Independents.
He also discounted speculation about friction in the secular alliance citing many leaders of supporting parties not attending the 'Iftar' party hosted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
"JDU President Sharad Yadav as well Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would attend the 'Iftar' hosted by Sonia Gandhi on July 13," Tyagi said.
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