On Kushwaha’s appeal, ex-MLA flaunts firearms at press meet

Tribune News Service

Patna, May 22

A day after Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha’s appeal to Mahagathbandh workers to pick up arms to stop any attempt of EVM manipulation, former Bhabhua legislator Ramchandra Yadav waved firearms saying he was ready to open fire to save democracy if the Mahagathbandh’s leaders ordered to do so.

Yadav, who won the Bhabhua Assembly seat on the Bahujan Samaj Party ticket in 2005, addressed reporters waving arms. He said: “I am ready to open fire if Mahagathbandhan leaders ordered to do so.”

Yadav is allegedly associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), but the party has denied any association with him.

Supporting Kushwaha’s controversial remarks of “result loot”, RJD vice-president and party nominee from Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said: “What will happen if votes cast do not reflect the result? In such circumstances, people will lose their faith in the system and a situation of cold war will emerge.”

Kushwaha had appealed to party workers to pick up arms if they noticed EVM tampering. After “vote loot”, an attempt would be made to effect “result loot”, he had said.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Kundan Krishnan said: “Forces have been deployed near all polling counters to avert any untoward incident.” If there is any violence during the counting of votes, Kushwaha would be responsible for it and the “police will take action against Kushwaha”, he said.