Journalism of Courage
A day after accusing Lalu Prasad of trying to topple the NDA government in the state, former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi released an audio purportedly featuring the RJD chief, who is serving time on fodder charges in Ranchi, telling Pirpaiti (Bhagalpur) BJP MLA Lalan Paswan over the phone to absent himself from voting for the Speaker’s election held on Wednesday. As Paswan claimed he received the call on Tuesday, the BJP and JD(U) demanded a probe into “the Lalu tape”.
BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha was elected the Assembly Speaker on Wednesday, getting 126 votes, including Paswan’s and Independent MLA Sumit Kumar’s. Mahagathbandhan candidate Awadh Bihari Choudhary got 114 votes. Three MLAs including one of the AIMIM remained absent during voting.
In the tape released by Modi, the man said to be Lalu urges Paswan to miss the session citing Covid infection and offers him a ministerial berth should the Mahagathbandhan get the Speaker of its choice and topple the NDA government. The MLA remains non-committal.
Paswan said he had received the call via an aide of Lalu. “I kept telling him that I am bound by party rules,” Paswan said. The office of the Jharkhand IGP (Prisons) said he had requested the Ranchi district administration to look into the alleged violation of the jail manual.
As per the audio released by Modi, a Lalu aide first speaks to Paswan’s personal assistant, before the two leaders are put in touch. The RJD chief apparently says, “Achha suno, hum log tumko aage bhi badhayenge. Wahan kal jo Speaker ka chunav hai, usmein hum logon ka saath do to hum tumko mantri banayenge. Hum log kal usko gira denge. Samjhe na (Listen, we will promote you. Help us in tomorrow’s election for Speaker, we will make you minister. We will topple their government. Understood)?”
While Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav questioned the presence of ministers Ashok Kumar Choudhary and Mukesh Sahani, who are not members of either House, during the voting, he did not speak on the allegations regarding the tape.
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RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, “As we have said before, the entire NDA is afraid of our leader Lalu Prasad… We are not convinced of the authenticity of the audio tape.”
Senior JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha said the tape was evidence of the politics of the Mahagathbandhan. “Skeptics & arm-chair theorists who were desperately selling an alternative politics that the Mahagathbandhan would usher in should bow in shame today. The #LaluTape is a testimony to NDA’s firm belief that The Godfather’s party would’ve unleashed a wave of degeneration of Bihar,” he said.
Jharkhand Jail IGP Birendra Bhushan said they have come to know of the audio clip, but added, “Since Lalu Prasad is not in jail, his safety and security are the responsibility of the Ranchi district administration. Therefore, I have written to them and the SP. I have also asked my jail superintendent to look into the matter.”
Asked about other reports of Lalu making phone calls, Bhushan said: “Let us be clear, the hospital is not jail.”
Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court had issued a show cause notice to the Birsa Munda Jail Superintendent and IG, Prisons, seeking a report on people meeting Lalu.
Imprisoned in connection with fodder scam cases at the Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi, an ailing Lalu has been at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences for a long time now. A bail hearing is scheduled for Friday.
