In a major bid to explore fresh political space and reclaim lost ground in Bihar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday seized the latest public outcry over an incident of alleged police excesses and virtually declared a war on the Nitish Kumar-led government.
Mr Yadav also attacked Mr Kumar for his handshake with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi during the meeting on NCTC in Delhi on Saturday, saying: “He (Mr Kumar) is doing drama and fooling people. He shook hands with Modi and talked with him for a long time, behaving in a servile manner, like a child.” Mr Kumar downplayed Mr Yadav’s comments as mere sarcasm while both the BJP and the JD(U) hit hard on Mr Yadav.
Accompanied by several senior RJD leaders, Mr Yadav visited Dhamni village in southern Aurangabad district’s Haspura block and met the family members of murdered mukhia (village head) Devendra Kumar Singh. Public protests against alleged police inaction in arresting the mukhia’s killers had turned violent on Wednesday, leading the police to lathicharge mobs that burnt two police vehicles. Over 100 people and dozens of policemen were injured. The mukhia was killed on March 29 allegedly at the instigation of the local BDO.
“We will hold a massive chakka jam in the (Magadh) region if the state government does not order a CBI probe both into the murder and the lathicharge. People across Bihar, including the poor, minorities, OBCs and women, are unsafe due to rising crime,” said Mr Yadav at a hugely attended public rally at Dhamni village.