Laloo does an about-turn, says Siwan incident was plot to kill Shahabuddin

Laloo does an about-turn, says Siwan incident was plot to kill Shahabuddin
ARUN SRIVASTAVA

PATNA, MARCH 26: Going against the government headed by his wife Rabri Devi, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav today supported party MP Shahabuddin on the controversy over his supporters indulging in violence with the police about 10 days back.

Addressing a small gathering in Pratappur today, Laloo held the police responsible for the March 16 incident and alleged that the police action was part of a conspiracty to eliminate Shahabuddin.

In fact, these are the allegations that Laloo's detractors have been making but today, the RJD supremo tried to turn the tables on them and win back public support, especially from his dwindling votebank of Muslims.

Expressing his concern for Shahabuddin, Laloo expressed his astonishment at the police action and sought to know ehther they were not chasing the dreaded Veerapapan. He promised to have the all aspects of the ``conspiracy'' investigated by the judicial probe into the incident.

Laloo went to the extent of desscribing Shahabuddin as his younger brother, and promised to find out how the UP police participated in the action at Pratappur.

To stress that he was, in fact, a friend and saviour of Shahabuddin, Laloo pointed towards the bullet-riddled photographs of the MP and said the police had descened there with the only aim kill him.

After the March 16 police action at Pratapur, RJD ministers and legislators had raised accusing fingers towards Laloo and charged him with masterminding the police action. Senior ministers and legislators Monajir Hassan and Illiyas Hussain had also come out strongly against Laloo.

Shahabuddin was also scheduled to accompany Laloo but he preferred to skip the visit and remain in Patna holding meetings with party dissidents.

Back in Pratappur, Laloo also announced payment of ex-gratia to six of those killed. But he did not mention any thing whether the two criminals shot dead would also be paid compensation.

SIWAN:Bihar Minister of State for Welfare Ejazul Haq, who had quit to protest against the state government's handling of the Siwan violence involving RJD MP Shahabuddin, withdrew his resignation today after several rounds of talks with Chief Minister Rabri Devi and RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.

``I have withdrawn my resignation. There was some confusion between us which has now been sorted out... The government has conceded most of my demands,'' Haq told reporters here.

Despite Rabri Devi rejecting his resignation on Saturday, Haq had stuck to his demand for suspending policemen -- including the SP (now transferred) B.S. Meena -- allegedly involved in the violence at Pratappur in Siwan district on March 16 in which 11 people, including two policemen, were killed. The minister, a relative of Shahabuddin, had also demanded that arrests of the MP's supporters be stopped pending conclusion of the judicial inquiry instituted by the government into the incident.

-- PTI