Storm over Lalu’s call to jailed strongman
Incident provides fresh opportunity for the opposition to hit out at RJD party
The sensational “revelation” about Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad taking orders from jailed party strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin has created a storm in Bihar poli- tics. The exposure comes at a time when the Prasad family is already in trouble for allegedly acquiring land through front companies.
The exposé made by Republic TV, which went live yesterday, has earned much embarrassment to the Grand Alliance government in Bihar led by chief minister Nitish Kumar. The channel is led by popular prime-time news anchor Arnab Goswami.
The channel aired on the opening day a purported audio clip which it claimed was a telephonic conversation that took place between the two RJD leaders while Shahabuddin was lodged in Siwan jail.
Lalu takes orders
In the conversation, the RJD chief can be clearly heard taking instructions from the RJD don who asks the former about transferring a police official. As per reports, Shahabuddin talks to RJD president through his supporter over phone.
In the audio clip Shahabuddin, currently lodged in high-security Tihard jail in Delhi, is also heard telling his boss to remove the Siwan district superintendent of police saying his actions could create riots in the district.
“Your SP is useless. Remove all of them. They will create riots,” Shahabuddin is heard instructing the RJD president as the latter listens to him patiently.
The exposé gave fresh opportunity to the opposition to hit out at the RJD even as both Prasad and chief minister Kumar maintained mysterious silence over the issue.
“Republic of Arnab [Goswani] has exposed how Lalu is taking instructions from dreaded criminal Shahabuddin. Will Nitish [Kumar] act?” asked senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Modi also wondered at the continuance of Shahabuddin as the RJD leader despite being convicted by the court in many serious criminal cases, such as murder and kidnapping.
“Shahabuddin is still the member of the RJD National Executive. Where is the question of suspending or expelling him?” asked Modi.
Modi further said a RJD minister Abdul Ghafoor in Nitish Kumar government went to Siwan jail to meet Shahabuddin while another minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui met his parents.