Hajipur (Bihar) (PTI): Police on Tuesday arrested a young man, who had threatened to kill Union minister and senior BJP leader from Bihar Nityanand Rai in a video that has gone viral on social media.

According to Kumar Manish, the Superintendent of Police, Vaishali, the accused Madhav Jha (25) was arrested from Town police station area early in the morning.

Rai, the Minister of State for Home, is scheduled to take part in a procession here on the occasion of Mahashivratri later this week and Jha, in the video, had spoken of "firing two bullets" on the leader on the occasion.

"The accused claims he had dreams of killing the minister and he disclosed the same in the video. Further investigation is underway," the SP said.

Rai had represented the Hajipur assembly seat, named after the eponymous town where Vaishali is headquartered, many times. He is now serving his second term in the Lok Sabha from Ujiyarpur, a part of which falls under Vaishali district.

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.



Chandigarh (PTI): Olympian Vinesh Phogat's uncle and celebrated wrestling coach Mahavir Phogat said her niece should not have joined politics at this stage and aimed for an Olympic gold in 2028, days after the Congress fielded her from Julana for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls.

Mahavir, whose Olympian daughter Babita Phogat joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, exuded confidence that the party will retain power in Haryana for a third time in a row.

Babita, a Commonwealth Games medal-winner freestyle wrestler who inspired the Bollywood film 'Dangal', contested the 2019 polls unsuccessfully from Dadri.

Asked about Vinesh taking the political plunge by joining the Congress, Mahavir, a Dronacharya awardee, told PTI over phone that "it is her decision...these days children take their own decisions."

He also claimed that when he spoke with Vinesh recently she had no intentions of joining politics.

Vinesh and Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year, joined the Congress on Friday.

Mahavir said, "It was my wish that she focus on her game and win a gold medal in the 2028 Olympics. I feel she should not have joined politics at this stage. I wanted her to continue wrestling."

Vinesh became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final, the stage where she was disqualified in Paris after being found overweight by about 100 grams in her 50-kilogramme category weigh-in. She subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.

Asked if his niece had consulted him before making the move, Mahavir said, "There was no talk regarding this. Had there been one, I would have advised her against it. But children these days take their own decisions".

On Congress's claim that the BJP will be ousted from power in Haryana, he said, "When results are declared (on October 8), you will see. The BJP will be back in power".