The Bharatiya Janata Party today warned Rashtriya Janata
Dal president and former Bihar chief minister Laloo
Prasad Yadav that he would be ''digging his own grave''
if he tried to whip up passions and create a
law-and-order problem in the state on the Vananchal
question.
The warning came from BJP general secretary M Venkaiah
Naidu in a sharp reaction to the RJD leader's threats
made yesterday.
Naidu said, ''A desperately cornered Laloo is obviously
looking for ways and means to arouse parochial passions
and create a serious law-and-order problem in Bihar.
This is to show his muscle power. If he does so, he will
be digging his own grave.''
Naidu said if Yadav really loved Bihar, the state would
have not been brought to the present sorry pass after
eight years of ''misrule''.
He pointed out that the people of the Jharkhand region
themselves were asking for a separate state since the
southern part of Bihar is neglected and underdeveloped.
The BJP leader accused Yadav of deliberately forgetting
the all-party resolution adopted by the Bihar assembly
for the creation of Jharkhand state. Yadav had backed
that resolution when he needed the support of Jharkhand
legislators. Now that he is fighting with his back to
the wall, he is trying to arouse majority passions and
swing in the opposite direction, Naidu said.
Naidu pointed out that the assembly resolution to create
a separate state was not final. Parliament can go ahead
with the proposed legislation.
Reiterating the BJP's commitment to the creation of
Vananchal, Naidu hoped the fresh legislation would get
the full support of other parties in the assembly and
Parliament.