PATNA: JDU National President Rajiv Ranjan Singh, popularly known as Lalan Singh, has issued a strong response to the recent statements made by BJP National President JP Nadda regarding the opposition unity meeting held in Patna. Singh dismissed Nadda’s remarks, stating that Nadda had nothing meaningful left to say, hence resorting to unruly remarks.
Singh emphasized that the individuals who were engaged in the political struggle during the years 1974 and 1975 were not fighting against Indira Gandhi, but rather against the prevailing regime at that time. He pointed out that the current situation in the country is even worse than the emergency period of 1974-75. Singh expressed that during the emergency, the press still had a certain level of freedom, whereas today the press is under the control of those in power. He further added that all constitutional institutions have been brought under their control and manipulated. The management of the media is entirely controlled by those in power, leading to a perilous state of democracy.
#WATCH | "…we are in a worse situation than emergency, whoever speaks against BJP govt, will have be hounded by ED & CBI, people are being threatened, independent institutions are being controlled…so in this fight, Congress is with us…": JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan)… pic.twitter.com/vOsYNnw5R6
— ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023
Singh went on to criticize the usage of agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Income Tax Department as tools of intimidation. He stated that even during the emergency period, Indira Gandhi did not resort to such tactics. However, in the present day, people are being subjected to threats and coercion.
Regarding a statement made by Amit Shah, Singh referred to him as a future speaker and downplayed his prediction. Singh highlighted Shah’s track record of making overconfident predictions that did not materialize in previous elections. Singh specifically mentioned Shah’s claims during the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, where the BJP’s projected victory was significantly reduced to just 53 seats. Similar outcomes were observed in the Bengal, Himachal, and Karnataka elections, where Shah’s predictions did not align with the final results.