A day after reports came in that a Central Intelligence Agency has sent specific inputs about JD(U) candidate from Jamui reserved lok Sabha constituency Uday Narayan Chaudhury seeking Maoists support to win the poll, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday gave clean chit to Chaudhury, while raising doubts over such reports. The Opposition BJP has taken the Intelligence report as a ‘serious issue’.
“Hai koi mai ka lal jo prove kar de …main Uday Narayan Chaudhury ji ka abhinandan karta hun ki unhone challenge kiya hai ki koi prove kar de report ko,” declared Nitish Kumar, while addressing poll rally at Jhajha in Jamui. He also said that such Intelligence reports are made to be leaked.
“I’m afraid that such reports are being made out and leaked to target a particular political party. What’s the source of such reports… what’s the medium of such reports… what’s the motive of such reportsIJ” asked Nitish Kumar. The party candidate and State Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhury too was present on the occasion.
Chaudhury is pitted against BJP-lJP candidate Chirag Paswan, son of Ram Vilas Paswan, and Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar of the RJD from Jamui Parliamentary constituency.
However, earlier, another Intelligence reports had allegedly charged a Minister of Nitish Kumar Cabinet and now party candidate from Sheohar lok Sabha constituency Shahid Ali Khan for his links with people associated with terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen.
At that time too Nitish Kumar and the Bihar police had strongly rejected the Intelligence report, while giving clean chit to Shahid Ali Khan.
Meanwhile, Uday Narayan Chaudhury has challenged those who have brought out "such false and fabricated report" to prove its credentials. "Since I'm a running candidate and winning the poll, such reports have been brought forth by rival parties…I challenge them to prove it," he fumed.
Chaudhury also said that he was looking at from where such report came out and would file defamation suit against them.
Interestingly, a few days ago a senior member of JD(U) and Minister in Nitish Cabinet Narendra Singh too had publicly charged that Uday Narayan Chaudhury has links with Maoists. Earlier, RJD chief lalu Prasad Yadav too have made similar allegations against Chaudhury saying he has been giving shelter to Maoists at his official residence in Patna.
Significantly, Chaudhury's name had also hit headlines in January 2005 when former lJP MP Rajesh Kumar was killed by the Maoists in Gaya when he was contesting State Assembly poll against Uday Narayan Chaudhury from Imamganj Assembly constituency.
later, Satyajit Kumar, son of deceased Rajesh Kumar in his statement to the police had accused Uday Narayan Chaudhury as mastermind of the incident. "He got my father killed with the help of Maoists to win the poll. He has a strong Maoist link," charged Satyajit Kumar.
However, Uday Narayan Chaudhury later refuted all these charges as motivated and remained in politics to become State Assembly Speaker for two consecutive terms in Nitish kumar's regime.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP has taken the recent Intelligence report on serious note and said that they had apprehension of such unholy support taken by the JD(U) leaders to win the poll.
"The recent Intelligence report on JD(U) leader and contestant taking Maoists' support to win poll is a serious issue and we have such apprehension, as now JD(U) has politically become frustrated and want to win the poll through such means," said senior State BJP leader Shushil Kumar Modi.
RJD candidate Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar too has said that the report confirmed their apprehension that the JD(U) candidate Uday Narayan Chaudhury was taking help from Naxals to win the poll. "The Intelligence report has now confirmed our input that Chaudhury was in touch with Maoist leaders in the area seeking their support in the poll," alleged the RJD candidate.
Earlier, reports said that in a secret note by the CRPF to the Union Home Ministry reportedly on March 30, it was said that Chaudhury was seeking support from the red rebels during the general elections 2014 in lieu of money.
The note reportedly said Chaudhury recently contacted Maoist leader Sidhu Koda, platoon commander (Special Platoon) and pursued him to support him. Sidhu Koda and other Maoist leaders reportedly decided to support Uday Narayan Chaudhury in lieu of money, said the report.
Interestingly, Maoists recently had distributed pamphlets in the Naxal-affected areas, including Jamui and urged voters to boycott the polls.