'Intimidate some Oppn leaders on polling day in Mokama': Lalan Singh's remark stokes fresh row
Patna (PTI): Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' on Tuesday landed in a fresh controversy with the surfacing of a video in which he can be purportedly heard asking NDA supporters to intimidate the opponents on polling day.
The video is said to be of Mokama, which falls under Lalan's Munger Lok Sabha seat, where the former JD(U) president's defence of party candidate Anant Singh in a murder case has already drawn flak from the Opposition.
In the latest video, Lalan can be heard saying, in Magahi, "There are some people out here whom you must not allow to venture out on polling day. Lock them up inside their homes. If they cajole you, accompany them to polling booths and ensure that they go home after casting their vote."
Lalan's latest video, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified by PTI, has gone viral on social media.
Controversial former Bihar MLA, Anant Singh, who seeks to reclaim Mokama seat, along with his two other associates -- Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram -- were arrested in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in connection with the murder of Jan Suraaj Party supporter Dular Chand Yadav.
Yadav died while he was campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party's candidate Piyush Priyadarshi in Mokama area last week.
It may be recalled that Lalan, while campaigning for Singh in Mokama on Monday, alleged that the incident, in which the Jan Suraaj Party supporter was killed, was a "conspiracy" and asserted that Anant Singh cooperated with the police and followed the rule of law.
Lalan Singh, along with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, on Monday visited Mokama and campaigned for Anant Singh.
Addressing a gathering in Mokama, Lalan Singh had said, "After Anant Singh's arrest, every person should contest the election as Anant Singh. When Anant Babu was out, my responsibility was less, but now that he is in jail, my responsibility has increased even more. From today, I have taken the command of Mokama into my own hands. I must say that there is a conspiracy behind the arrest of Anant Singh. The truth will soon come out as the police are investigating the case and people will come to know about the conspirators also."
The opposition parties -- RJD and Congress -- on Tuesday reacted sharply to Lalan's latest video.
The RJD, in a post on X, wrote, "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, then take them along and let them cast their vote. Where is the dead commission?"
Commenting on Lalan Singh latest video, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, in a post on X wrote, "This is the new example of ‘gundagardi and jungle raj’ in Bihar! With defeat in sight, JD(U)-BJP leaders are now openly saying they won't let people step out of their homes on voting day, will lock them inside, and if they resist too much, will drag them along to cast their votes."
"Those who are not going to vote for BJP, don't let them step out of home"
— Tarun Gautam (@TARUNspeakss) November 4, 2025
These are the words of cabinet minister Lalan Singh (JDU).
Imagine if these were the words of Lalu Yadav or his party, it would have been declared JungleRaj by now.pic.twitter.com/5hFgdFkyqb
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
