'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
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
