BJP suspends MLC accused of harassing colleague

Facing flak for “shielding” a harassment accused, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday suspended MLC Lal Babu Prasad from the primary membership of the party. He had already been stripped from the post of state vice president on Thursday.

Prasad was accused of “inappropriately touching and making comments” on LJP MLC Nutan Singh in the Bihar legislative council on Wednesday afternoon, following which, Singh’s husband and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Singh ‘Bablu’ allegedly rained blows on him.

When the matter was raised by women legislators in the house on Thursday, the senior BJP leaders were in denial mode stating no complaint had been received by them. “It was only after some probing that we got to know of the matter and action has been taken against the erring legislator,” said Sushil Kumar Modi, leader of opposition in council.

However, the council chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh took suo motu cognizance of it and on Friday, transferred the matter to ethics committee. “The MLC has also been dismissed from the chairmanship of environment and pollution control committee of the council,” he said.

The grand alliance members had accused the BJP of diluting the seriousness of the matter and quipped that the party should have an internal anti-Romeo sqaud for the likes of Prasad.