BJP and RJD clash in Patna, day after IT raids linked to Lalu Yadav

The RJD Supremo had earlier tweeted, “BJP mein himmat nahin hai ki Lalu ki awaz ko daba sake… Lalu ki awaz dabayenge to desh bhar me karoron Lalu khade ho jayenge…”

Only a day after the income tax department conducted raids in connection with alleged Benami deals of Rs 1000 crore involving the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, clashes between the leader's party workers and those from the BJP broke out today in Patna, Bihar.

Yesterday witnessed raids conducted by the IT department on properties linked to the former Bihar chief minister in the Delhi-NCR area.

And today, the BJP had planned for a statewide dharna asking for the removal of the leader's two sons, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, from the state cabinet over allegations of concealment of assets owned by them in their election affidavits.

Reports have said that a video footage available shows a mob pelting stones at the BJP office in Patna and damaging vehicles on the Bir Chand Patel Marg, which also has offices of other political parties. According to reports, many people were hurt in the clash, which also saw commuters running for cover.

BJP leaders have claimed that the RJD supporters had attacked their offices in an organised way, but the RJD leadership rebutted such charges alleging that the BJP was the cause of the clash.

The police said stone pelters were being identified and action would be taken against them. "Nobody involved with the attack on BJP office will be spared. We have deployed additional forces in the area," city superintendent of police Chandan Kushwaha is reported to have said.

Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai called the attack a reflection of the desperation that the state party was feeling. Rai reportedly said, "But such things cannot cow down BJP, which will continue its fight against corruption and lawlessness in Bihar. We will take the fight to the court as well as the people."

BJP leader and former deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi, said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should take a call if he would allow such conditions of lawlessness to continue in which political party offices are getting attacked in a prohibited zone by RJD goons.

"The BJP knows how to give a befitting reply, but we don't believe in violence. The police remained a mute spectator. Over half-a-dozen BJP workers have sustained injuries," he added.

But the RJD spokesman Manoj Jha put the blame on the BJP as he alleged that the BJP men had first attacked them and hence the reaction of his party men was natural.

Earlier, reacting to the raids conducted, the RJD chief had said on his official Twitter account that he was not scared at all and will continue to fight against fascist forces.

In the following tweets he said that the BJP does not have the courage to stifle his voice and if tries to silence one Lalu, crores of Lalus will rise across the country.

OneIndia News