BJP national spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy addresses the media at the party office in Patna on Saturday.Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Oct. 8: BJP national spokesman and former civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy today criticised RJD chief Lalu Prasad for describing L.K. Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra as a communal plan.

“Lalu is no longer relevant in national politics. Lalu’s comments against Advani and social activist Anna Hazare reek of his frustrations after being rejected by the people of Bihar,” Rudy said.

The national BJP leader was in the state capital to chart out details of Advani’s campaign scheduled for October 11. Though the yatra was supposed to begin from Sitab Diara, the venue was shifted to Chhapra from the birth place of Jai Prakash Narayan in Saran district owing to the floods.

“I still remember the days when Lalu, as railway minister, used to enter the Central Hall in Parliament surrounded by MPs and other leaders. Now, the same man doesn’t find anyone around him,” Rudy said.

Lalu had earlier said Anna should float a political party instead of staging fasts. He had also said Advani’s yatra plan was communal in nature.

“Such comments (against Anna and Advani) are unacceptable. It proves that Lalu has lost his sense of reasoning,” the former civil aviation minister said.

He added that a sample survey, conducted by a team of India Against Corruption, on Lokpal had found that 90 per cent of the residents of Lalu’s constituency — Chhapra — were against the RJD chief.

“Lalu’s criticism of Advani and Anna proves that his mind is corrupt. He knows very well that he has failed to achieve his target. Now he is coming up with some strange comments to divert people’s attention,” Rudy said.

On RJD’s allegation that Advani’s yatra against corruption might affect communal harmony, he said, “I do not think that we should even react to such comments. It’s a matter of time that Lalu’s political career will be dead.” The BJP national spokesman also took a dig at the UPA government, saying its partners would desert the alliance soon. “Parties such as DMK, NCP and Trinamool Congress will soon snap their ties with UPA because of the series of corruption and the Congress-led alliance will collapse like a pack of cards,” he said.

“The UPA has failed to bring back black money stashed in foreign banks back to the country and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to check prices of essential commodities from going up. People are fed up with corruption and price rise. The day is not far when they will throw UPA out of power,” Rudy added.