PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Monday lambasted leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav for visiting the native village of jailed mafia don-turned-politician Mohd Shahabuddin.
The senior BJP leader was reacting to the RJD heir apparent's interaction with family members of the former Siwan MP, who is currently lodged at the Tihar jail in New Delhi in a double murder case.
"Enacting a farce in the name of a tour aimed at saving the Constitution and ensuring justice for all, Tejashwi Yadav met the family members of Shahabuddin, who used to be synonymous with terror in Siwan.
He even shared the stage with Shahabuddin's wife at a public meeting", the Deputy CM tweeted referring to the RJD leader's visit to Pratappur village in Siwan earlier in the day.
"Tejashwi, however, did not care to meet Chanda babu for the murder of whose three sons Shahabuddin is lodged in the Tihar jail. He did not consider it necessary to meet the bereaved old man. The objective of Tejashwi's yatra appears to be singing paeans to criminals patronized during the period Bihar was ruled by his parents", Sushil Modi added.
Tejashwi's parents Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi had served as Chief Ministers of Bihar from 1990 to 2005.
Shahabuddin, who has represented Siwan in the Lok Sabha many times, was also elected to the RJD's national executive a couple of years ago but dropped later and replaced by his wife Hina Shahab.
Meanwhile, the RJD has issued a press release alleging that the JD(U)-BJP government in the state was trying to obstruct Tejashwi Yadav's state-wide "samvidhan bachao nyay yatra" by not making adequate arrangements at his public meetings.
The party alleged that a stampede-like situation had arisen at his public meeting in Siwan on account of "lack of adequate administrative arrangements" and that his rally in neighbouring Saran district a day ago was affected due to absence of power supply.
"The ruling NDA is jittery over the tremendous response that Tejashwi Yadav's yatra is receiving.m The JD(U) and BJP can feel the ground slipping from underneath their feet. Hence they are trying to indirectly obstruct his public meetings", the press release issued by state RJD spokesman Chitaranjan Gagan said.