‘Don’t let Opposition step out of homes’: Union Minister Lalan Singh’s comments get FIR filed against him

Just ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Union Minister and senior JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh ignited controversy after he asked workers from the party to prevent some opposition leaders from leaving their homes.

Singh, who is also known as Lalan Singh, made the provocative comments on a video which was shared on Tuesday by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

In the video, the minister can be heard saying, “There are a couple of leaders who should be let out of their homes on election day. Lock them up in their homes. If they make a fuss, tell them, 'Come with us, cast your vote, and then go back home to sleep.' So, from today, everyone takes charge."

The comments were not well received by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). In a post on X, the party wrote, “Central Minister Lalan Singh, while running a bulldozer over the chest of the Election Commission, is saying that the poor should not be allowed to step out of their homes on voting day! They should be locked inside the house; if they create too much fuss with their hands and feet, then take them along and let them cast their vote. Where is the dead commission?”

The Patna district administration announced on social media shortly after saying that they have examined the video footage. They said an FIR was registered againsta the minister. “The video footage of the video surveillance team was examined by the District Administration, Patna. Following the investigation, in this matter, an FIR has been registered against Shri Lalan Singh alias Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh under the relevant sections of the Indian Citizen Security Code and the Representation of the People Act," the post read.

RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti also commented on the video, saying that the leader's statement could hinder the election process. She tagged the Election Commission and asked the poll body to take appropriate action.

India