FIR against Shah registered under pressure of Bihar government, says BJP

A high-level delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met the Election Commission (EC) here on Thursday over a First Information Report (FIR) filed against party president Amit Shah for allegedly terming Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad as "chara chor" (fodder thief) during a poll campaign.

Talking to mediapersons, Union Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said that the FIR was registered under the pressure of the Bihar government.

"When Shah referred to Lalu as chara chor," said Naidu, "he was only referring to what the court had held, and had said nothing new. Raking up the issue and lodging an FIR against the president of a national party is not acceptable."

He said they brought the issue to the notice of the EC, requested the commission to make an inquiry into the matter, and demanded immediate withdrawal of the FIR.

Besides, said Naidu, they urged the commission to also inquire into the role of officials working under political pressure and take action against the erring officials.

He said the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners assured them that they would study the case and would take appropriate action.

Stating that they have also brought EC's attention towards communal, objectionable, offensive and inflammatory remarks made against our party's president and the Prime Minister, Naidu said, "Those parties are frustrated, as they know that their defeat was imminent."

Addressing a party workers' meet in Begusarai on September 30, Mr. Shah had said: "Bihar, which has a glorious past, today is known as the State of a chara chor."

The delegation which met the CEC comprised Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP leaders Arun Singh and Om Prakash Singh among others.