One of the highlights of the meeting of at least 15 Opposition parties in Patna was the presence of Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, who recently recovered from an illness.
Not only did Lalu Prasad recover, he also seemed to be back to his humorous best as he teased Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get married.
'Aapki Mummy Boli Aap Baat Nahi Maan Rahe'
"You walked across the country and grew your beard," Lalu Prasad said, as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also joined in gesturing about Rahul Gandhi's beard.
"Hum log ka salah maane nahi, byah nahi kiye. Abhi bhi samay beeta nahi hai. Shaadi kariye aur hum baraati chalein (You didn't listen to our advice. You didn't get married. It's still not to late. Get married so that we can come as your baraatis.)" Lalu Prasad quipped as Rahul, Nitish and rest of the leaders present laughed.
Lalu Prasad continued pulling Rahul Gandhi's leg, "Aapki mummy boli ki aap baat nahi maan rahe. Shaadi karwaiye. (Your mother told me you don't listen. You should get married)".
Though amused, some within the Congress say there was more to what Lalu Prasad said than just banter and that it could have been his way of telling Rahul to shed his reluctance and take up the responsibility of being a PM candidate officially.
'BJP Destroying the Country'
Lalu Prasad slammed the Narendra Modi government and accused it of pursuing 'disastrous policies'.
"Unemployment is high. Prices are rising. All they do is talk about Hindu-Muslim," Lalu Prasad said.
The meeting of Opposition parties was the initiative of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. As many as 33 Opposition leaders from at least 15 political parties attended the meeting.
Along with Lalu Prasad, other RJD leaders present include Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Manoj Jha and Sanjay Jha.
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