Bihar polls: Lalan claims model-code violation FIR based on doctored video
Former JD(U) chief booked for speech in Mokama; claims rival RJD shared clipped video and accuses its cadres of threatening vulnerable voters
Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ has claimed that a video clip, which led to an FIR against him over alleged violation of the model code of conduct in election-bound Bihar, was “doctored”.
The former JD(U) president, who was booked on Tuesday (November 4) under relevant sections of the BNSS and Representation of People Act for a speech he made in Mokama, expressed confidence that the investigation will take into account “the full video footage” and lead to his exoneration.
Tussle over Mokama
“I respect the action initiated by the Election Commission, which is a constitutional, non-partisan body. But the video in question, which is also being shared by our rival RJD, is doctored,” Lalan claimed on Wednesday.
Also read: Anant Singh arrest: Has the Mokama killing reignited Bihar’s caste fault lines?
He also accused the RJD cadres of threatening poor people in Mokama with dire consequences if they cast their votes in favour of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).
“As a political party, it was our responsibility to offer support to such vulnerable voters and instil some courage in them. That was what I tried to do, and it will be clear to whoever watches the complete video. The EC is bound to watch the footage during the probe, and the truth will be out,” Lalan said.
In the clip, Lalan can reportedly be heard saying, in Magadhi, “You must not allow some people to venture out on polling day. Lock them up in their homes. If they insist on voting, accompany them to the polling booth and ensure that they go right home after casting their votes.”
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav shared the video on X and alleged, “Union minister Lalan Singh is openly saying that the poor, Dalits, and EBCs should not be allowed to step out of their homes to vote.”
Anant Singh’s arrest
The former JD(U) president has been intensively campaigning in Mokama, which falls under his Munger Lok Sabha seat, ever since party candidate Anant Singh was arrested in connection with the killing of Dularchand Yadav, a local strongman who was supporting Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party.
Also read: Why Dularchand Yadav's murder has become a flashpoint of Bihar polls
The minister alleged that during Yadav’s funeral procession, “abusive slogans, targeting a particular caste, were raised, at the behest of the RJD”.
Both Lalan and Singh belong to the powerful upper-caste group Bhumihar.
(With agency inputs)