People can well imagine who is a coward, Nitish or Lalu: JD(U)

Ruling JD(U) on Monday pilloried RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP supremo Ramvilas Paswan for their allegations against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for participating in the Bihar Divas Programme in Mumbai saying they were not happy with the response he received in that metropolis.

JD(U) chief spokesperson Sanjay Singh, MLC, speaking to newsmen ridiculed Prasad and Paswan for describing Kumar as a coward and rubbished the charge that he had knelt down before MNS chief Raj Thackeray for attending the function in Mumbai on Sunday.

"People can well imagine who is a coward Nitish or Lalu," Singh said and recalled that Prasad had once said he would perform Chhath puja in Mumbai but later dropped his programme following objections raised by the MNS leader.

"Nitish Kumar respected the sentiments of Biharis in Maharashtra and faced obstacles for them by going to Mumbai to attend the programme ... He has scripted history by going to Mumbai. It will strengthen the relation between Biharis and people living in Maharashtra and spread the message of peace and social harmony."

Kumar had taken the initiative and invited Biharis in Maharashtra to Bihar and asked entrepreneurs to participate in the state's programme for development with justice.

Prasad on the other hand had failed to take any initiative when Biharis were under threat in Mumbai during the period when he was a powerful minister in UPA I, Singh alleged.