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Monday, Oct 24, 2005

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National

Poll panel discriminating against RJD candidates

K. Balchand

A deep-rooted conspiracy, says Lalu Prasad

PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday accused the Election Commission of discriminating against his party candidates and workers in Bihar.

At a public meeting in Munger, he also criticised the conduct of civil and police officials, saying it was part of a "deep-rooted conspiracy." The efforts of communal forces to turn the State into another Gujarat would be thwarted, he said.

Earlier, RJD party spokesman Shivanand Tiwari said in Patna that the first information report against Union Minister Jai Prakash Narain Yadav was filed as an "after thought at the directive of the Election Commission."

There was nothing illegal about Mr. Yadav's visit to Khaira police station in Jammui district after the arrest of his brother Vijay Prakash.

A poll issue

He said Ashok Ram, independent candidate, would petition the National Human Rights Commission against the murderous assault on him by Jammui Superintendent Arvind Kumar and other policemen. The RJD had decided to make the episode a poll issue.

The Election Commission's caste bias was responsible for the transfer of 19 Deputy Superintendents of Police and seven SDOs belonging to the Dalit, backward and Muslim communities and the posting of officials belonging to the upper castes to supervise the elections.

Not only the Commission's credibility was eroded, it was also working with the mala fide intention of defeating the RJD.

Mr. Tiwari criticised Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar and Lok Jan Shakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan for justifying the Commission's actions.

BJP flays RJD

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said the manner in which the RJD sought to attack the Commission was a matter of concern.

He charged the RJD and the Congress with launching a war against the Commission in a bid to stop it from holding impartial elections in the State.

Mr. Jaitley hoped that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would take interest in what was happening in Bihar and would respond to the letters he had written to him on the issue.

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