Lalu backs Muslim quota, walks back after Modi's fire

The former Bihar chief minister was attending the swearing-in ceremony in Patna for 11 newly elected MLCs (members of legislative council), including chief minister Nitish Kumar and former CM Rabri Devi, on Tuesday when reporters sought his response on Modi's allegations that INDIA bloc wants to give reservations to Muslims in violation of the Constitution, which prohibits religion-based quota.

Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India's general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now!

"Muslims should get reservation in full," Prasad said.

PM Modi, who was addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh in the afternoon, was quick to seize on the RJD chief's remarks. "The person, a key ally of INDIA bloc, who is convicted in fodder scam and is out on bail, has today said Muslims should get reservation. That is not all. He has said Muslims should get reservation in full. It only means they (INDIA bloc) want to snatch away reservations meant for SCs/STs and OBCs for giving it away to Muslims," Modi said, without taking names.

For the past few days, top BJP leaders, especially PM Modi and union home minister Amit Shah, have intensified their attacks on the opposition alliance, accusing it of harbouring intentions to "snatch away" quota for backward classes in favour of Muslims.

Earlier, Modi had accused the RJD chief of advocating for a separate quota for Muslims in the railways in 2007 when the latter was the railway minister in the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Meanwhile, Prasad walked back on his comments hours later on Tuesday in an apparent exercise at damage control.

Talking to news agency ANI, he said he was the one who had steered the implementation of the Mandal Commission report advocating for reservations in jobs and educational institutions for OBCs. "The reservation to various castes as per the Mandal Commission was based on social conditions. Religion cannot be a basis for reservation," he said.

Prasad also accused the BJP of trying to amend the Constitution. "It was former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had formed a national commission to review the working of the Constitution. They want to amend the constitution," he said.

The RJD chief's apparent flip-flop came on a day when five seats in Bihar were voting in the third of the ongoing seven-phase parliamentary elections in the country.

Prasad's party is contesting 23 Lok Sabha seats, of the total 40 in Bihar, where RJD leads the Opposition alliance also comprising Congress and Left parties.

Muslims in Bihar, along with Yadavs, are considered as traditional supporters of RJD, which has ruled the state for 15 years till 2005.