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BJP demands Lalu's bail cancellation in Shahabuddin taped conversation row

In the April 2016 taped conversation, Shahabuddin, then lodged in Siwan jail tells Lalu to look into (the matters of) Siwan, where there was a riot like situation.

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Mohammad Shahabuddin; (R) Lalu Prasad
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The political temperature in Bihar upped several notches on Saturday with fissures erupting in the grand alliance following a media exposé of an alleged conversation between ruling RJD president Lalu Prasad and jailed gangster Mohammad Shahabuddin.

In the April 2016 taped conversation, Shahabuddin, then lodged in Siwan jail tells Lalu to look into (the matters of) Siwan, where there was a riot like situation. He calls the local superintendent of police (SP) Saurav Kumar "finished", who may cause riots if not removed. In a separate conversation with one of his supporters, Shahabuddin is "protecting" the interest of liquor mafias after imposition of total prohibition in Bihar.

For the BJP, which has been trying to corner Lalu and his minister sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav over Bemani properties but has failed to garner any reaction from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the taped conversations were a shot in the arm and no time was spared by them in daring Nitish, their former ally, to sever ties with RJD over "shielding" a criminal.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Lalu entertaining a convict's phone call from jail was a crime, let alone the fact that Shahabuddin wanted to interfere in the duty of an honest police official. In Patna, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the Bihar government should move the Supreme Court for cancellation of Lalu's bail, as he was protecting a convicted criminal.

"We will meet the Bihar governor and demand the government, through him, to lodge a criminal case against Lalu in this matter," Modi said, and added that the BJP had also asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh to seek a report from director general of police (DGP), Bihar, on the issue.

Modi quoted Nitish's oft repeated comment that he will not compromise on law and order issues and challenged him to take action in the matter. Sources said Nitish sought the taped conversation details from the DGP and asked him to submit a report in the matter.

With 80 MLAs, RJD is the senior alliance partner in the Mahagathbandhan government. However, its allies JD (U) and Congress went on a backfoot after the "expose" with no senior leader coming out in Lalu's defense. Left alone, the RJD legislators and functionaries huddled at Lalu's residence to discuss the issue.

Senior RJD leader Jagadananda Singh was defiant over the issue and said Shahabuddin is a leader of the party and there were no plans to remove him.

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