Dalit leader who accused Tejashwi Yadav of demanding money for party ticket shot dead
A 37-year-old Dalit leaderwas gunned down at his residence in Bihars Purnea district onSunday and his wife alleged that it was a political killing asher husband was preparing to contest Assembly election as anindependent candidate after he was expelled from the RJD.
After the killing, a video in which the deceased,Shakti Malik, accused RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav ofseeking Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket tocontest the poll from Raniganj seat and threatening toeliminate him if he continues with his good work in theconstituency, went viral.
The ruling JD(U) claimed that Leader of the OppositionTejashwi Prasad Yadav has exposed his true colours before thenation. Repeated efforts to reach senior RJD leaders for theirreaction were unsuccessful.
Police said that three bike-borne men entered thehouse of Shakti Malik in Purnea in the morning and shot him inthe head while he was sleeping, killing him on the spot, andfled.
A country-made pistol and an empty cartridge werefound from the spot, K Haat police station Station HouseOfficer Sunil Kumar Mandal said.
Superintendent of Police Vishal Sharma and Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anand Pandey visited the spot.
In the video that went viral, Malik claimed that he,along with the RJDs SC/ST cell state unit president, metTejashwi Prasad Yadav in Patna where the RJD leader sought Rs50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contestRaniganj assembly constituency.
According to the video, when Malik said that he wouldlet him know of his decision later, Tejashwi made a casteistremark against him and threatened to eliminate him.
It was not immediately clear when Malik made thisstatement to a Purnea based television channel.
The deceaseds wife also alleged that there is apolitical conspiracy behind her husbands killing and namedseveral leaders who could be involved in it.
JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad claimed that Malikwas a Mahadalit and his family members statements corroboratethe allegations levelled by him.
“We have been raising the issue of dynastic politics,corruption, Tejashwis inexperience especially in dealing withalliance politics but the latest allegations has completelyexposed him,” Prasad told reporters.
Allegations that RJD leaders distribute party ticketsafter taking money or land are not new, he alleged.
Prasad also alleged that Tejashwis “concern” forDalits was exposed when former Bihar chief minister Jitan RamManjhi had to leave the Grand Alliance after the RJDleaderships shabby treatment meted out to him.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
