Rape-accused MLA meets Lalu, triggers storm

A day before the Supreme Court is slated to hear the Bihar government’s plea to cancel his bail in a rape case, accused MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav met RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday.

The meeting, which lasted for two hours, has kicked up a fresh row.  Raj Ballabh, who was charged with raping a minor girl at his residence in February, was suspended from the RJD after he was imprisoned in March.

After remaining in jail for six months, he was granted bail by the Patna High Court on September 30, and was released on October 2.

His release put a dent on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s image as the Opposition charged him with “shoddy prosecution and weakening the case” so that the rape accused could be granted bail.

After coming out of Lalu’s residence on Thursday, Raj Ballabh, the legislator from Nawada, showed no remorse. “I have not sought any favour from Lalu Prasad,” he said.

When asked if it was improper to meet the chief of a ruling ally at a time when the Nitish government has challenged his bail in the Supreme Court, Raj Ballabh said: “Nitish has not challenged my bail in the Supreme Court. The Bihar government has done so. Yeh toh system hai (It’s the system) where you have to undergo the legal process and scrutiny, otherwise no charges have been proved against me.”

Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav asked the media not to brand anyone guilty till pronounced so by the court. “The court, and not you or me, will decide whether he is guilty or not. And, don’t read much into the meeting which he had with Laluji,” said Tejaswi, who is Lalu’s younger son.

War of words
The BJP blasted Nitish over a rape accused meeting Lalu. “Notwithstanding Nitish’s claim of good governance, it has been proved beyond doubt that this government is ‘of the criminals, by the criminals and for the criminals’. The recent episodes have brought to the fore the criminal-politician nexus in Bihar,” said BJP spokesperson Vinod Narayan Jha.
The JD(U), however, rubbished BJP’s charges.

“Nitish Kumar’s USP is rule of law. No matter how much one indulges in Ganesh parikrama, if someone has done wrong, he will have to face the legal consequences,” said JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.
DH News Service