Rahul met Lalu for support in 2019 elections: Shah

Bengaluru : BJP President Amit Shah on Monday claimed that Congress President Rahul Gandhi met convicted RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Delhi on Monday to seek his support in the 2019 general elections.

“Rahul has understood that he cannot win the 2019 general elections without the support of Lalu, who stands convicted for corruption. Rahul wants his (Lalu’s) support despite the corruption issue,” Shah said at a public meeting in the mining region of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in Kolar district, about 80 km northeast from here.

Gandhi on Monday met the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Lalu Prasad is lodged in Birsa Munda Jail in Jharkhand’s Ranchi since December 2017 after his conviction in four fodder scam cases.

He was taken back to Ranchi for follow-up treatment from AIIMS after he was declared “fit to travel”.

Terming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka “corrupt”, Shah said the state’s people are awaiting a change.

“I have been travelling across Karnataka for the last few months and people are certain that they want a change. On May 15, when the votes are counted, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will certainly emerge victorious,” he said.

While the Congress was depending on Siddaramaiah for a win, he is “running away” from one constituency to another, Shah said.

“Siddaramaiah himself is running from Chamundeshwari constituency (in Mysuru district) to Badami (in Bagalkot district), and is sure to lose to his BJP rivals,” the BJP chief claimed.

Voting for the 224-member Assembly will be held on May 12, and counting done on May 15.

Published on April 30, 2018 at 20:44 IST

IANS