Lalu luring NDA MLAs in Bihar from Ranchi: SuMo

Patna/Ranchi: Former deputy CM and senior BJP functionary Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday accused jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad of trying to lure NDA legislators in Bihar through phone calls from Ranchi.
“Lalu Yadav making telephone call ... from Ranchi to NDA MLAs & promising ministerial berths. When I telephoned, Lalu directly picked up. I said don’t do these dirty tricks from jail, you will not succeed,” SuMo, who has been appointed president of the ethics committee in the Bihar legislative council, tweeted on Tuesday.
The phone number SuMo mentioned in his tweet (TOI is not revealing the number) belongs to Lalu’s caretaker Irfan Ansari. The number was switched off when dialled. Irfan has been allowed access to Lalu, who is in jail in connection with fodder scam cases. Lalu, who is admitted to Rims, Ranchi for treatment, is currently lodged at Kelly’s Bungalow, the official residence of the hospital’s director, on the grounds of possible Covid-19 infection.
Under the prison manual, Lalu is not allowed to use cellphone and is supposed to meet visitors once every week. However, the manual is being brazenly violated to keep RJD, a part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, in good humour, BJP alleged.
Amid a likely contest for the Bihar legislative assembly Speaker’s post on Wednesday, JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar launched a scathing attack on Lalu and demanded him to be shifted to Hotwar jail to prevent any misdoings. “Lalu is a habitual criminal. He is convicted in a corruption case and calling people despite being imprisoned. This is misutilization of power. Tejashwi Prasad Yadav (Lalu’s son) should explain who is responsible for such illegal activities being done when election is to be held for the Speaker’s post,” Neeraj said, adding that SuMo’s allegations are serious and required strict action against the RJD chief.
BJP’s Jharkhand president Deepak Prakash also tweeted: “Why has the honourable CM Hemant Soren kept his eyes shut on this matter?”
Officials of Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail could not be contacted for comments.
RJD functionaries, however, rubbished SuMo’s allegations. “SuMo suffers from Lalu-phobia. Rather than diverting people’s attention from real issues, including unemployment and Covid management, NDA leaders are busy making baseless allegations. They should explain how they are going to create 19 lakh job opportunities,” RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said.