RJD MP flags extortion calls from mystery number

Parties begin ticket distribution for first phase of Assembly poll.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday sought a probe into calls to political leaders in the State from a BSNL number with the caller allegedly asking for money.

“Several leaders are regularly getting calls from a telephone number 0612-22117222 for money…this telephone number was, earlier, installed at party leader and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s official residence but it was disconnected in 2016,” said RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Patna, Mr. Jha said enquiries with state-run telecom provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) found that the number had been allotted to the State Forest Department in 2018 but was disconnected on March 18, 2019.

When The Hindu called the number, an error message was received, saying “please check your number and try again”. BSNL officials refused to make an official comment on the present status of the telephone number.

“We’ve asked BSNL for complete details of this phone number,” said Mr Jha.

“Several leaders are getting phone calls on various dates from this number asking for ₹20 lakh, ₹30 lakh and ₹50 lakh…we ask the government who is making such calls and who this number has been assigned to,” the RJD leader said.

“Such nefarious design would not have been possible without the consent of those who are in power in the State…it is a complete criminal act and the government must probe this to find out who are the people behind this to implicate our leader Tejashwi Yadav,” he added.

He also said the ruling JD(U) is under threat of imminent defeat in the upcoming Assembly poll.

“On November 10 (when the election results are due) the face at 1, Anne Marg (Bihar CM’s official residence) will be changed and they must have become desperate and threatened,” he alleged.

Asked about an FIR lodged against party leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap and others in the murder of a Dalit leader in Purnia district, Mr. Jha said, “We’re waiting for the summons”.

“The government is yours (Nitish Kumar)…your police…then why to wait for any investigation into the case? But, you should not influence the probe,” he said.

“Headlines management, of which Nitish Kumar is said to be an expert, should also not be done in the investigation…hang Tejashwi Yadav if he is guilty but don’t influence the probe,” the RJD leader said.

Meanwhile, amid confusion between NDA partners BJP and JD(U) over seat sharing, the latter began issuing party ticket on Monday to candidates for the first phase of elections.

Over a dozen JD(U) MLAs and leaders were seen entering Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official residence and emerging with party ticket.

Similarly, RJD leaders and sitting MLAs were seen entering 10, Circular Road, the official residence of party leader and former CM Rabri Devi and returning with a party ticket to contest the poll.

The three Left parties CPI, CPI (M) and CPI(Marxist-Leninist) too distributed their party ticket among candidates.

In the Opposition mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance, the CPI is contesting 6 seats, the CPI(M) four and CPI(ML) 19 seats while, the two major partners RJD and Congress party are contesting 144 and 70 seats respectively for the 243-member Assembly.

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