Sushil Modi releases audio of Lalu ‘luring’ Bihar BJP MLA

PATNA: Former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday released an alleged audio clip of jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad asking BJP’s MLA from Pirpainti, Lallan Paswan, not to vote in the election for the state legislative assembly Speaker’s post. Lalu, in the alleged telephonic conversation, promised Paswan a ministerial berth after the fall of the NDA government in Bihar.
BJP MLA Vijay Sinha has been elected the Speaker.
“Paswanji, congratulations... you support us in the election of Speaker tomorrow (Wednesday) and we will take your career ahead. We will make you a minister as we will bring down the government as the Speaker will be ours,” Lalu is heard saying on Tuesday in the audio.
TOI does not authenticate the audio.
When Paswan said he is in the party (BJP), Lalu is heard asking him to abstain from voting on the plea of having been infected with Corona.
Paswan told ANI on Wednesday that he received the call from Lalu, who offered him a ministerial berth, which he refused. “My PA (personal assistant) received the call and the person on the other side said Lalu Prasad wanted to speak to me. My PA asked him where he was calling from, to which the person said from Ranchi. I thought Laluji wanted to congratulate me for my victory in the election. He congratulated me and I also sought his blessings as he is an elderly person. Later, he asked me to be absent during the Speaker’s election,” said Paswan.
Paswan said he was with Sushil Modi when the call came. “I informed Sushil Modiji immediately and the entire conversation happened in front of him,” added Paswan.
“Lalu Yadav making telephone call (XXXXXXXXXX) 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 (sic),” tweeted Sushil Modi. TOI is not revealing the number.
RJD functionaries claimed the audio was doctored. “Sushil Modi does this every day to keep himself in the limelight. This has been his nature, although people don’t believe him. Sushil Modi is making baseless claims with no truth at all,” said RJD’s Maner MLA Bhai Virendra.
Deputy CM Renu Devi, however, condemned the incident. “It is condemnable if someone tries to break the ruling alliance, which has got the people’s mandate in Bihar. Our alliance is strong,” she said.
JD(U) members also attacked Lalu and targeted the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand. “This large-heartedness of Jharkhand government is beyond our comprehension. The government is rampantly violating norms to please a party with just one MLA in Jharkhand. Lalu is staying in the bungalow of Rims director and is involved in all sorts of unethical practices, including horse trading of MLAs,” said JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident.
In Ranchi, Jharkhand IG (prison) Birendra Bhushan said that under the jail manual, no convict can use mobile phones. “Lalu Prasad is not in jail but in hospital for treatment. At present, the responsibility lies with the local administration,” he said. Bhushan said no special facility has been provided to Lalu Prasad by the jail administration.
Lalu was shifted to Kelly’s Bungalow from Rims on August 5 as a precautionary measure against Covid-19 infection. Earlier, he was in shifted from Hotwar jail in Ranchi to the prison ward at Rims for treatment of multiple health disorders.
(With inputs by Jaideep Deogharia in Ranchi)