The ruling party, in a joint press conference addressed by its spokespersons, asked why BJP was inducting tainted persons in the <g data-gr-id="26">party,</g> and was hobnobbing with those having known criminal antecedents with an eye on polls, and whether it was trying to contest polls with the help of such people. It also raised ‘leadership issue’ in the state unit of the saffron party. “Just yesterday BJP inducted the son of R K Rana, a convict in <g data-gr-id="24">multi-crore</g> fodder scam in the state. It is hobnobbing with MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who has been a terror of Kosi region in Bihar. What is it doing? Does it want to contest polls with the help of such people,” asked Sanjay Singh, MLC and JD(U) spokesperson.
Singling out Yadav for particularly harsh treatment, Singh claimed “several persons were killed by him (Yadav), who himself was enlightened into the world of crime during his imprisonment at Tihar Jail in New Delhi and Beur Jail in Patna. Men, women and children do not venture out in Kosi region of the state out of his fear.” Singh asked how could a person like Yadav be given ‘Y’ category security cover by the Centre and asserted that the BJP should tell whether its relationship with him was “legal or illegal”. He also challenged the saffron party to stay away from criminal elements.
Taking potshots at senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Singh claimed that Modi had lost his “mental balance” because the party was not declaring its chief ministerial candidate.
Nitish aide, senior minister blackmailing media: Sushil Modi
Firing a fresh salvo against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP on Tuesday alleged that his key aide Prashant Kishor and senior minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary were blackmailing and intimidating the media to give the JD-U publicity in the run-up to Assembly poll by threatening to stop advertisement. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that the "blackmail and intimidation" of the media were the result of the ruling party's "failure to win over people of Bihar through its campaign blitz".