Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tej Pratap Yadav found himself at the centre of a fresh controversy on Saturday when a policeman was commanded by the former Bihar minister to perform a 'thumka' (dance) or face suspension.
The lurid drama unfolded at the official residence of Yadav, the elder son of former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, during holi celebrations.
In a style reminiscent of the 'kapda faad Holi' that his father used to organise, Yadav tore off clothes of supporters who poured in to greet him, and also drove a scooter on the streets adjoining his house, screaming 'Happy Holi Paltu Chacha', a taunt obviously aimed at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has aligned with and dumped the RJD twice.
One of the videos of his revelry that has gone viral on social media show the Hasanpur MLA regally seated on a sofa, placed on a make-shift stage, holding a mike.
"Ae sipahi, ae Deepak, abhi ek gana bajaenge jis par tumko thumka lagana padega. Nahin lagaoge to tumko suspend kar denge. Bura na maano Holi hai (Hey policeman Deepak.....we are going to play a song on which you shall perform a dance. If you do not, you will suspended. Don't mind. It's Holi)," Yadav can be heard as saying before a musical band bursts into a devotional song that is often played during the festival of colours in Bihar.
The policeman did not seem much offended as although he did not break into a 'thumka', he nonetheless obliged Yadav by hopping a few times with his right arm raised high in the air.
However, the impropriety that involved a man in uniform drew criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala came out with a strongly worded statement alleging 'like father, like son. First, the father - as the then CM used to make law dance to his tunes and turn Bihar into a jungle raj. Now, the son, despite being out of power, attempts to make laws and protectors of law dance to his tunes through threats and pressure'.
Poonawala added 'he (Yadav) threatens police personnel with suspension if he doesn't dance. This shows that RJD believes in jungle raj...If they come to power even by mistake, they would violate the law and make protectors of law dance...This is a trailer. So, it is important to keep them away from power...'
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