BJP replied to Lalu’s jibe with ‘Modi ka parivar’ campaign, but in Bihar, it’s all one big happy family

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), whose chief Lalu Prasad’s “no family of his own” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted the BJP to launch “Modi ka parivar (Modi’s family)” campaign, is now looking to turn the tables on the NDA. The coalition led by the BJP, which often uses “parivarvaad” (dynastic politics) to target the Opposition, has fielded 11 sons and daughters belonging to political families in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections. The NDA has declared candidates for all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Soon after the release of names of the NDA candidates, the RJD sought to know from Modi what “Modi ka parivar” really means. “With 11 dynasts in the fray from the NDA, we would now want the PM to broach the subject,” party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, adding that the RJD’s position on the subject was unambiguous. “Our leader Lalu Prasad has clearly said when a lawyer’s child can choose to be a lawyer, the children of politicians too can choose their parents’ vocation.”

Of the 11 descendants of political families in the Bihar race from the NDA ticket, four belong to the BJP — including sitting Madhubani MP Hukumdev Narayan Yadav’s son Ashok Yadav, who is in the fray from the seat; former state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, renominated from the West Champaran seat, who is the son of former MP Madan Jaiswal; Sushil Kumar Singh, who is the son of ex-MP Ram Naresh Singh, who has been renominated from Aurangabad; and Vivek Thakur, the son of former MP C P Thakur, standing from Nawada.

A BJP leader conceded that the NDA cannot really go hammer and tongs at the Opposition over the “parivarvaad” plank. “We have to be cautious now,” the leader said.

The JD(U)’s list of dynasts includes former minister Vaidyanath