Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Pirpaiti in Bhagalpur district Lalan Paswan lodged an FIR with the vigilance department in Patna on Thursday afternoon in connection with tape-gate.
Paswan claims that Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad called him from Ranchi on Tuesday evening and asked him to remain absent during the voice vote for the post of Speaker in the Bihar assembly on Wednesday. Following this, he informed senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi about the development.
Paswan has also put the tape of the telephonic conversation with Lalu Prasad on social media platforms.
“I have lodged an FIR in the vigilance police station in Patna against Lalu Prasad under the Prevention of Corruption Act for contacting me over telephone and offering ministerial berth. It amounts to bribery and alluring a public servant. He is a convicted person in custody,” Paswan said.
Following the FIR, Sushil Kumar Modi has also tweeted about the development and expressed a similar view.
Neeraj Kumar, former cabinet minister and spokesperson of the JD-U, has alleged that Lalu Prasad has been enjoying the hospitality of the Jharkhand government despite being convicted in the fodder scam.
“He has made health issues and infection of corona in Hotwar jail. As he is involved in a criminal act, he should be sent to jail,” Kumar said.
The FIR by Paswan could have an effect on the bail hearing of Lalu Prasad in the Ranchi High Court scheduled for November 27.
Sources said that the ruling National Democratic Alliance leaders are making such allegations so that Lalu Yadav’s bail application is rejected.
Lalu Prasad is currently lodged in Ranchi jail after being convicted in four cases pertaining to the fodder scam. He managed to obtain bail in three of the cases and the hearing in the fourth case is scheduled on November 9. He is facing charges of fraudulently withdrawing Rs 139 crore from Doranda treasury and Rs 3.3 crore from Dumka treasury in 1996.
