PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday decried the arrest of Left-leaning activists and said the country was heading towards a dictatorship. He also slammed Bihar's Nitish Kumar-led government over the rise in crime against women. "Several intellectuals and activists have been arrested on the charge of conspiring to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is not a good indication. The country is heading towards a dictatorship," said the ailing former Bihar chief minister before he left for Ranchi to surrender in a special CBI court.
The 70-year-old leader, who has been out of jail on bail since May 11 following his conviction in four cases of the Rs 1,000-crore fodder scam, looked frail and walked unsteadily. Jharkhand High Court asked him last week to surrender before a special CBI court in Ranchi by August 30.
"I do not long for the comfort in a hospital. I have been treated at hospitals in Mumbai and Delhi. I am still unwell due to infections. But I have full faith in the judiciary, and I am sure of getting justice," said Yadav. "I, my wife Rabri Devi and my son Tejashwi Yadav have been framed in false cases. With the general elections drawing near, they (BJP-led NDA) hope to get relief by keeping my entire family engaged and worried. But they will be disappointed," said Yadav.
He also attacked Bihar CM Nitish Kumar over the rise in crime in the state. "The rapes at the Muzaffarpur shelter homes and the spate of murders and robberies show that there is absolutely no law and order in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is like Nero, who was playing the flute when Rome was burning," said Yadav.
Special CBI courts in Ranchi have handed him jail terms for 27 years and a half after finding him guilty in four cases of the 22-year-old fodder scam. Yadav's wife Rabri Devi, also a former Bihar CM, and their son Tejashwi Yadav, currently Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly, left for New Delhi on Wednesday to appear before a court there in the Railways' hotel tender scam case. The appearance is scheduled for Friday.
"He (Lalu) is levelling baseless charges against the government to divert the people's attention from the massive corruption he and his family have engaged in for years. He forgets that the fruits of crime and corruption are never sweet," said Bihar deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.