Congress chief Sahay ‘flouts norms’, meets jailed RJD prez Lalu

Ranchi: Former Union minister and Congress functionary Subodh Kant Sahay on Saturday met incarcerated RJD president Lalu Prasad at the paying ward of Rims "without taking permission from the jail authorities". In view of the pandemic, visitors have been barred from meeting Lalu who is suffering from various ailments.
Sahay’s visit took place minutes after Ranchi (rural) SP Naushad Alam inspected the state-run hospital’s paying ward to ensure that proper security protocols are being followed.
In a bid to avoid media persons, Sahay entered the paying ward complex through the super specialty block and spent over half an hour with the RJD president. He exited the ward through the central emergency entry where he spoke to the reporters and said he had come to enquire on Lalu’s health. "I hadn’t had a chance to meet Lalu ji ever since the JMM-led government took charge in Jharkhand in December. I only came to enquire about his health," Sahay added.
Asked if he had discussed the upcoming Bihar election with the RJD functionary, Sahay said they will definitely miss Lalu ji in the polls, but to give a tough fight to BJP, he himself will visit Bihar during the election. "I will stand by anyone, even a monkey, if he opposes BJP," Sahay added.
When TOI asked if he had taken permission from the jail authorities to meet Lalu, Sahay said he had informed the authorities concerned before his visit. However, when jail superintendent Ashok Chaudhary was contacted, he said, "I did not receive any intimation regarding anyone paying a visit to Lalu Prasad as there has been a blanket ban on his visitors since the outbreak of Covid-19."
However, the number of visitors has substantially increased following Lalu’s birthday celebrations on June 11 in the presence of his son Tejaswi. Two RJD functionaries violated the jail regulations and met Lalu at Rims on July 2, which prompted the SP (rural) to inspect the ward on Saturday.
Alam said, "As Lalu ji is housed as a prisoner, no one can meet him without prior permission from the authority concerned. We had come to know through media reports that a few visitors tried to meet him. I went to Rims to inspect the security arrangement and have instructed the personnel not to allow anyone without permission."