Former MP from Madhepura and Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav was arrested on Tuesday for alleged violation of lockdown norms and brought to the Gandhi Maidan police station in Patna.
An FIR was lodged against him at Patna’s Pirbahore Police Station for allegedly flouting the lockdown norms while visiting the COVID-19 ward at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). He was taken into custody from his residence and brought to the Gandhi Maidan Police station.
Recently, an FIR was lodged against him at the Amnour police station of Saran district after he flagged an issue of allegedly over 30 ambulances lying idle on a premises allegedly owned by BJP MP from Saran Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Mr. Yadav, of late, has been visiting hospitals, cremation grounds and pharmacists to raise the alleged lack of government preparedness for COVID-19 patients. He has also been helping anxious relatives of COVID-19 patients with oxygen cylinders and other required necessities.
“I’m taken to Patna’s Gandhi Maidan police station after being arrested”, tweeted Pappu Yadav soon after he was taken into custody.
He posted another tweet in Hindi to say, “If confrontation with a situation to keep one’s own life at stake during Corona time is a crime, then, yes, I’m a criminal. PM sahab, CM sahab, I’ll not stop even if hanged or sent to jail. I’ll save people, will keep exposing dishonesty”.
Takes on PM, CM
Further, in a series of tweets, he took on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The government has axed its feet with [my] arrest in the name of violation of lockdown. If common people wake up, it will cost heavy to you Modi-Nitish”, he said in one. “Nitish ji pranam [greetings]. [You] do not test patience. Otherwise, if people take system in their own hands, then your administration would forget all your lockdown protocol. I had an operation a month ago and even then putting my life at risk, I’ve been saving lives. My Covid test was done just now and it was negative. You want to kill me by making me positive,” he said in another.
In a Hindi tweet, he said, “the governments should make preparations to fight against the third wave of Corona but they are fighting against Pappu Yadav. Please do not compete with me in helping people, saving their lives and doing services to them. Why you’re wasting time in implicating and sending me to jail? Looking for issues all across the state to implicate me to guard their failure”.
It was learnt that a local court in Madhepura had issued an arrest warrant against the former MP on March 22, 2021 in a 32-year old case (No: 9 / 89) and the district police could come to Patna late on Tuesday night to take him under custody.
Recently, Mr. Yadav “raided” the native village of Mr. Rudy, where allegedly over 30 ambulances with labels “MPLADS-2019” and bearing the name of the BJP leader were parked allegedly on the premises owned by him. The ambulances were covered with saffron plastic sheets and tarpaulin, he had stated.
“There are over 30 ambulances here. There were many more which have been removed. We want to know why they were not being used and kept off the streets at a time when there is huge rise in COVID-19 cases and oxygen, drugs and ambulances are in short supply. The ambulance service providers are levying hefty charges from those in need”, he stated and urged the government to look into it.
Rudy’s reply
However, Mr. Rudy soon released a video to hit back at Mr. Yadav.
“There were only 20 ambulances parked there because of lack of drivers. If Pappu Yadav wants to take all these ambulances, he can do so, but with a promise to the people of Saran that he will provide drivers for all of them. Mr. Yadav should do politics in Madhepura, not in Saran”, he stated.
