Patna : Ritlal Yadav, a legislator from Bihar representing the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), surrendered before a court in Danapur on Thursday following serious allegations of extortion and criminal intimidation. He has been remanded in judicial custody and sent to Beur jail for 14 days.
Ritalal, a controversial political figure with long-standing ties to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, faces accusations of demanding money from a prominent builder and threatening him with dire consequences. An FIR had been registered against the MLA, along with his brother, nephew and an aide, prompting a series of police raids earlier this month.
On April 11, a joint team of Bihar Police and the Special Task Force searched Yadav’s residence in Danapur, Patna. Authorities reportedly seized over Rs 10.5 lakh in cash, blank cheques totalling Rs 77 lakh and six pen drives during the operation.
The case emerged after a builder filed a written complaint at Khagaul police station, alleging extortion and threats to his life. The developments have once again put the spotlight on the RJD’s internal politics and the party’s troubled legacy.
Once seen as a close aide of Lalu Prasad, Yadav had been elevated to the post of general secretary within the party. However, his influence is said to have waned amid the growing legal scrutiny on Lalu and his family in recent years. Sources within the RJD suggest Yadav had increasingly been kept at arm’s length by the party’s leadership.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the controversy on Wednesday, posting on social media: “Do you want to bring the corrupt to power or make Bihar safe? The decision is yours.”
