Patna: Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday threw a challenge at BJP leaders in general and Union minister Giriraj Singh in particular.

"I want to ask the BJP leaders and Giriraj Singh in particular that does he know how to milk a cow? He talks about gau seva (care of cows). If the cows roaming on road are tied at their doors, they will kick them out because the BJP leaders will not do any service," the RJD leader said.

Tejashwi's father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad family's love for cattle is well documented. Lalu still loves to talk about his childhood herding cattle. When Lalu was chief minister, there was a time when he had more than 300 cattle at his 1 Aney Marg bungalow. At present the RJD first family owns over 100 cattle at Lalu's farmhouse off Bailey Road near the RPS Mor in Danapur.

In May 2017, Lalu had directed his cadres to tie their old cattle at the doors of RSS and BJP leaders. One RJD worker who obeyed his leader had a police case filed against him by a BJP leader.

"The BJP leaders do not want to care for cows," Tejashwi declared on Sunday. "If Giriraj Singh ji does not know how to milk a cow, he can learn from me. I will also teach him how to rear cattle, but I know that the BJP leader can only do politics and divide society in the name of cow."

He alleged that the BJP;s politics only revolves around seven issues: temple, mosque, Hindu, Muslim, Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, and cow.

"The BJP leaders never hoisted the national flag at their RSS headquarters in Nagapur (for around 52 years after Independence) but are always out to give certificates of patriotism and nationalism. However, we do not need any certificate for being a Hindu or being a patriotic or rearing cows. It's there in our blood," Tejashwi said. "We do not celebrate any festival, be it Diwali, Holi, Id or Christmas, for votes. We celebrate because we have faith, unlike the BJP."

Giriraj, who held the animal and fish resources portfolio in chief minister Nitish Kumar's cabinet in 2010, does have 150 goats, 10 emus, 10 rabbits and five ducks at his official bungalow. Repeated calls to find out whether he can milk a cow went unanswered.