Former RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has been given ‘Y’ category security, over a week after former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was accorded the top ‘Z-plus’ security cover by the Centre.
The move comes months ahead of polls in the state.
The BJP-led NDA had been wooing Pappu Yadav, who is an influential leader of his community in the Purnea-Madhepura belt.
Reacting sharply to the security cover to its rivals, Janta Dal United saw a “conspiracy” in it and accused the Centre of “direct interference” into the affairs of a state.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary of Bihar, the Union Home Ministry said that the state government was requested to categorise Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav as ‘Y’ (threat) category protectee in view of “threat perceived to him from political rivals, criminal, the CPI (Maoist) and also in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar”.
Yadav, a Lok Sabha MP after being expelled by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for six years for anti-party activities in May this year, launched a new political outfit, called Jan Kranti Adhikar Morcha.
The Union Home Ministry has in its communique said that the matter regarding security arrangements of Pappu Yadav has again been examined in the ministry in consultation with the Central Security Agencies.
“As per their report, in view of threat perceived to Pappu Yadav from political rivals, criminal and the CPI (Maoist), and also in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, the state government may categorise him as a Y (threat) category protectee and provide him full component of Y category security.
“Government of Bihar is therefore requested to categorise Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav as a Y (threat) category protectee and provide him full component of Y category security cover immediately, in order to avoid any untoward incident,” the Home Ministry said in its missive on July 27.
Reacting sharply to it, JD-U general secretary K C Tyagi said,”After Manjhi was give Z plus security, it is now turn of Pappu Yadav to get Y category security. How can the Centre decide all this without involving the state?
“Other rebel leaders from JDU and RJD have also been provided similar security by the Centre earlier. This is some sort of a conspiracy against the state government. I strongly condemn the security given to Pappu Yadav,” Tyagi said.