Lalu Yadav visits family of Rahul Raj

Patna, Oct 30 : Railway Minister Lalu Yadav today visited the family of Rahul Raj, who was killed in a police shootout after his alleged attempt to hijack a public bus by scaring passengers with a revolver at Kurla in Mumbai on Monday.

Expressing his condolences to the family members of Rahul, Lalu condemned the act of the Mumbai Police and said that the prevailing tension is the result of the regional divide instigated by some anti social elements.

He said that it is the fundamental right of the citizens of India to seek jobs anywhere in the country.

"It is not a fight between Maharashtra and Bihar. The people of Bihar and Maharashtra are Indians. It is the anti social elements who are trying to hamper the integration of the nation," said Lalu.

"We want to maintain peace and harmony in the country. And whether a person is from Bihar or Maharashtra, they have a right to seek job anywhere in the country," added Lalu.

On Monday, Rahul, 26-year-old native of Patna, had entered a private bus in the Bail bazaar area in Mumbai around 9.00 a.m. and threatened the conductor and the passengers with a revolver.

The conductor later told reporters that Rahul wanted to kill Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which is fuelling anti-immigrant rhetoric in the state.

Police said that Rahul died in the exchange of fire with the police after attempts to persuade him to surrender failed.

ANI