RJD MLA Samta Devi Quarantined for 14 Days in Failed Bid to Meet Lalu Prasad in Bihar's RIMS

RJD MLA Samta Devi has been put under quarantine in Ranchi on her arrival at RIMS to meet party chief Lalu Prasad, triggering a war of words between rival parties in the poll-bound Bihar Thursday as action has been taken against a “dalit” woman but the jailed leader’s son Tej Pratap Yadav had a trouble-free meeting with his father. Ruling JD and the new entrant to NDA-fold, Hindustani Awam Morcha of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, attacked RJD for “using its influence” on the party supported coalition government in Jharkhand to “punish” a dalit woman MLA while Tej Pratap Yadav visiting Ranchi to meet Prasad at RIMS last Thursday without inviting any similar action. Bihar’s minister for Information and Public Relations Department Neeraj Kumar asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to speak as “why the Jharkhand government under influence of his party is adopting double standards in dealing with Samta Devi and Tej Pratap Yadav. HAM national spokesman Danish Rizwan also trained guns at RJD, alleging “Lalu is insulting dalits using his influence on the Jharkhand government.” Manjhi who had quit Grand Alliance led by RJD on August 20 announced Wednesday that his party is joining NDA in Bihar as a constituent.