Former Bihar minister files nomination amid protest

Patna, March 24: Former Bihar minister and Aam Admi Party leader Parveen Amnullah today filed nomination for Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat amid protests by a section of party workers.

Accompanied by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, Amanullah filed her nomination after a roadshow on way to Patna Collectorate. She will take on actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha of BJP, Bhojpuri film actor Kunal Singh of Congress and noted doctor Gopal Prasad Sinha of JD(U) in the poll slated for April 17.

Amanullah's journey for filing the nomination was marred by protest by a section of AAP workers who were agitating against her nomination. Protestors squat on the road and raised slogans to vent their anger on giving ticket to Amanullah in front of Arvind Kejriwal's close lieutanant Manish Sisodia. Sisodia played down the protest and told reporters that these are normal in politics.

He said people of Bihar were angry against all parties "neck deep in corruption" and looking for AAP to change the system across the country. "People of Bihar voted out Congress and BJP in the state and gave chance to Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar now but they all failed to end corruption...people across the country are hankering for an honest politics which AAP promises," he said.

"Log is bar safai chahte hai (people this time want clean politics)," Sisodia said. Amanullah, wife of senior bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah and daughter of diplomat and former MP Syed Shahabuddin, said people of Bihar are looking for an "effective" alternative to Congress and BJP in the general elections. Amanullah an RTI activist was a prominent minority face of Nitish Kumar government. She had quit the ministry as well JD(U) last month to join AAP.

PTI