M A I N   N E W S

Pappu Yadav held, remanded

Patna, March 29
Independent Lok Sabha member from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, was today remanded to judicial custody after his arrest against a complaint filed by RJD MLA Bhupendra Rishideo, charging Yadav with having intimidated him.

The police took Yadav into custody from his Punaichak residence here and later produced him before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, R.K.P. Singh. He remanded Yadav to judicial custody to be lodged in Beur jail.

Mr Rishideo had charged Pappu Yadav, who is also the Bihar Vikas Party president, with having intimidated him and asked him over telephone to accompany him to visit the Nala road residence of Rajya Sabha member, Mr Ranjan Prasad Yadav, who is heading the dissidents’ camp, demanding change in leadership in Bihar.

The RJD MLA alleged that the Lok Sabha member asked him to part company with Mr Laloo Yadav and join hands with Mr Ranjan Yadav.

Terming the allegations of Mr Rishideo as bogus, Pappu Yadav said he had never threatened or intimidated any MLA and that he had good relations with Mr Rishideo who hails from his home constituency, Purnea.

“There has been a sinister conspiracy by the administration-criminal nexus to eliminate me... But I am ready to sacrifice my life to rid Bihar of corruption, lawlessness, jungle raj and chaos unleashed during the Laloo-Rabri regimes in the past 11 years,” Yadav told reporters after his arrest.

He urged the Centre to dismiss the state government to establish rule of law.

The Bihar Assembly was adjourned till lunch today after the Opposition and the Treasury Benches created a ruckus over the arrest of MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.

As the zero hour began, the BJP members wanted to know the reason for the arrest of Mr Pappu Yadav. Leader of the Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi said the police had cordoned the house of Pappu Yadav last night to arrest him despite his ill health.

Mr Prem Kumar (BJP) said Mr Yadav was arrested on flimsy grounds.

At this point RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav intervened to say that Mr Pappu Yadav was intimidating RJD legislator Bhupendra Rishidev and requested the Chair to sort out the matter.

Speaker Sadanand Singh asked Mr Rishidev to give an account of what had happened. Mr Rishidev alleged that Pappu Yadav along with some people had called on him last night and asked him to support Ranjan Yadav, Pappu Yadav had even offered him a ministerial berth and some money and asked him to talk with Ranjan Yadav on telephone. When he called up Mr Ranjan Yadav, he was allegedly asked to settle the matter with Pappu Yadav. Mr Rishidev said he related the entire episode to party chief Laloo Yadav after which an FIR was lodged.

The Speaker then directed the government to provide adequate security to the MLA.

Mr Modi wanted to know the objectionable portions in the revelations made by Mr Rishidev and alleged that it was a result of an internal dispute in the RJD. PTI, UNI