Mahagathbandhan a platform to protect and patronize corruption: BJP

Dubbing the Mahagathbandhan secular alliance of Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, as a platform to protect and patronize corruption, Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday said that the alliance is promoting corruption and dynasty in politics.

"The so called Mahagathbandhan is a platform compromising of those who promote dynasty, those who are opportunist, and those who protect and patronize corruption. That's why Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar are there together," Prasad said here.

Slamming Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his vision of two lakh seventy thousand crore package, he said, "Nitish Kumar is playing politics from last three years on special packages for Bihar. Now, he has come in front with a vision of two lakh seventy thousand crore. I want to know from him how this vision came just two months ahead of elections."

"I have only three questions from him. First question is, if you were capable of arranging two lakh seventy thousand crore than why were u asking for special package from the Centre from last two years? Why did you criticize the 1.25 lakh crore package give by Prime Minister Modi? Nitish is just misguiding the people about two lakh seventy thousand crore package. There is a decisive perception for change in Bihar,"he added.

The Mahagathbandhan alliance suffered a blow after Samajwadi Party stormed out of it, saying it felt 'humiliated' at being allotted mere five seats and decided to contest the elections on its own.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday claimed that he will be able to convince Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav and save the Mahagathbandhan.