BJP workers burn effigies of Lalu, Nitish in Bihar

Patna, May 18 (IANS) Opposition BJP workers on Thursday burnt the effigies of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the Bihar capital and other places in the state to protest an alleged attack on the BJP office and its workers.

Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar led hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members on a march from the party office to the busy Dak Bungalow square in the heart of Patna. Kumar said the protest by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has been staged at all district headquarters in Bihar against the attack on the BJP office "by RJD goons".

"We have burnt the effigies of Lalu and Nitish in Patna to protest against what happened on Wednesday when RJD workers attacked BJP workers," Kumar told the media.

He said a delegation of NDA leaders will meet the Governor soon in connection with the incident.

However, there were few of the BJP's allies Lok Janshakti Party, HAM and RLSP leaders and workers during the protest.

Angry BJP workers shouted slogans against Lalu and Nitish "Lalu-Nitish murdabad". They also shouted slogans against Lalu's two sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. Tejashwi is the Deputy Chief Minister and Tej Pratap is Bihar Health Minister.

On Wednesday, half a dozen persons were injured in a violent clash between RJD and BJP workers in Patna, a day after IT raids in connection with alleged "benami" property deals involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family.

The clash took place in front of the BJP state headquarters office on the busy Birchand Patel Marg near the IT square in the heart of Patna.

Later both BJP and RJD workers lodged FIRs against each other in connection with the clash.