New Delhi, November 11
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad says he has ambitions of holding the office of Prime Minister. In an interview with Vir Sanghvi for NDTV's One-on-One Show, the RJD chief said he was determined to become the Prime Minister, but refused to hazard a guess on the number of years it would take him to hold the top post. He said he believed in working and thought that he might one day get an opportunity to become the Prime Minister.
He said he also wanted to become the Home Minister in the Congress-led UPA government but was given the Railway portfolio due to some difficulty. “I'm not disappointed (for not getting the Home Ministry); it was my choice. I was keen to ensure a strong law and order mechanism in the country.''
The RJD leader blamed the defeat of his party in Bihar on division of secular votes. He said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lacked mass support in the state. “He (Mr Kumar) is junior to me. I know him very well. He is nothing,'' he said.
He claimed that Mr Sharad Yadav and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (then his party colleagues), did not want him to arrest BJP leader L.K. Advani during the rath yatra to Ayodhya in 1990.
Asked by Sanghvi if he had made a mistake by seeking membership of Delhi's elite India International Centre, Mr Lalu Prasad said the IIC rejected his request due to class bias. He, however, said the rejection of his application by the IIC did not surprise him as they knew that he did not belong to their class.
