Janata Dal (United) leader and Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, has landed himself in controversy after he allegedly asked his supporters to confine the Opposition candidate to his home on polling day while campaigning for jailed party candidate Anant Singh in Mokama constituency.
Voting ke din virodhi neta ko ghar se nikalne nahi dena hai! Ghar mein pack kar dena hai, agar zyada haath pair jodega toh apne saath le ja kar vote girane dena hai” (Don’t let the opposition leader leave his home on voting day! Keep him locked inside the house; if he creates too much fuss, then take him along and let him cast his vote), Lalan Singh can be heard saying in the viral video.
The Union Minister’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Opposition parties. The Rashtriya Janata Dal hit out at the JDU leader and questioned the Election Commission’s inaction. Sharing the video on its official handle, the RJD wrote, “Union Minister Lalan Singh, whilst running a bulldozer over the chest of the Election Commission, is saying that the poor should not be allowed to step out of their homes on voting day! They should be locked inside the house; if they create too much fuss with their hands and feet, then take them along and let them cast their vote. Where is the dead commission?”
The Congress party attacked the BJP-JDU alliance, stating, “Those who are going to vote against BJP-JDU, don’t let them step out of their homes on election day. Will the ‘impartial’ Election Commission take any action on this? Or will it continue to pat BJP-JDU leaders on the back, as always?”
Meanwhile, the Patna District Magistrate has responded to the viral video, stating that after investigating the footage, an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister.
