A day after lalu Prasad made a dramatic road show up to the State Assembly and Raj Bhawan to protest poaching of his MlAs by the JD(U), Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary on Wednesday hit back at the RJD chief. He justified his decision to declare 13 RJD MlAs as unattached and alleged that lalu targeted him for coming from Mahadalit section of the society. He also charged that the RJD workers attacked his residence to “kill him”.
“The RJD leaders and supporters attacked my residence on Tuesday to kill me…it was not an attack on the Assembly Speaker but Uday Narayan Chaudhary who comes from a Mahadalit family,” charged the Speaker. led by party boss lalu Prasad the enraged RJD leaders and supporters while marching to the State Assembly building on Tuesday had pelted stones at the official residence of the Assembly Speaker.
“For the first time after 66 years of Independence a Mahadalit has come to the post of State Assembly Speaker and was attacked like this for no reason has certainly hurt me,” he said. “They can make me afraid with their terror tactics but cannot a person sitting on a Constitutional post,” he added further. When asked what was the hurry he notified the alleged ‘rebel’ RJD MlAs as unattached members of the House, the Speaker refuted it saying he has received the letter of all 13 RJD MlAs with their signatures even during the Budget Session of the State Assembly.
“There was no hurry or any pressure at all on me…I took the decision under provisions of the Constitution and I’ve done nothing illegal. And, moreover, it was just an interim decision,” claimed Chaudhary. However, when mediapersons posed direct question on the MlAs’ number as the list fell short of two more MlAs to escape the anti-defection law, the Speaker skirted the question saying he would look into it.
“Now when nine of those RJD MlAs have once again submitted a letter to me declaring they are still in the RJD, I’ll look into it and need some time to take appropriate decision over this,” he said. “Otherwise, all options are open for them to prove their claim,” Chaudhary said. The Speaker, however, appeared more peeved over attack on him and his residence by the RJD chief and his supporters.
lalu had earlier charged Chaudhary of being Naxalite who has been giving shelter to the Maoists at his official residence. The Speaker further added that people’s court was the biggest court in a democratic process and everything would become clear. Meanwhile, ruling JD(U) leader and Minister in the Nitish Cabinet, Shyam Rajak too came out in support of Chaudhary.
“Yes, he was being attacked in such manner for being a Mahadalit…it was a ploy by lalu Prasad and his men to kill him…you could have figured it out over the manner lalu Prasad was spewing venom against the Speaker,” alleged Shyam Rajak. Interestingly, before leaving for Delhi on Wednesday, the man of the moment RJD supremo lalu Prasad continued attacking the Speaker saying some of the Naxalites were taking shelter in his residence on Tuesday.
“I’ve full information that those Naxalites were being transported out of his residence in five vehicles to another Minister’s residence…When I’ll come from Delhi I’ll personally lead police to raid that Minister’s house”, charged lalu Prasad. lalu also alleged Uday Narayan Chaudhary is involved in the killing of former lJP leader and ex-MP of Gaya, Rajesh Kumar. “I’ve sought the papers of the case from the kin of the killed MP,” said the RJD chief. “Chaudhary even took a hardcore Naxal Murari Yadav as his aide to an official trip to Japan on Government expenses,” he charged further.