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Shahabuddin may be hiding in Delhi

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Mohammed Shahabuddin, Rashtriya Janata Dal member of Parliament from Siwan, Bihar, is in Delhi, but is 'untraceable' in view of the arrest warrant issued against him by the Rabri Devi government, a top Union home ministry official confirmed on Tuesday.

"We [the home ministry] have not received any intimation from the Bihar government requesting our co-operation in taking Shahabuddin into custody. We cannot take the initiative because the ball is in the state government's court," the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Shahabuddin still has seven RJD legislators supporting him in Bihar. This is why Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi's government, despite issuing an arrest warrant against him for slapping a senior police officer and subsequent rioting in the district, has soft-pedalled its move to nab him.

RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav on Monday visited Siwan and distributed cash compensation to the next of kin of the policemen killed in the clash with Shahabuddin. But he is aware that his wife's government could be destabilised if Shahabuddin provokes the seven MLAS under his influence to pull out. That is why he went to the extent of praising Shahabuddin and apportioning blame for the riot on the police personnel as well.

But the Bihar State Police Association has taken a tough stand and is adamant that unless Shahabuddin is arrested, policemen in the state will abstain from duty.

Shahabuddin's official residence in Delhi was locked when rediff.com visited it on Tuesday. But reports in the local print media have also indicated that he is now in Delhi.

Outspoken senior RJD parliamentarian and working president Professor Ranjan Yadav, who recently resisted Laloo Prasad's attempt to anoint his teenaged son as his successor, denied having met Shahabuddin to plot the state government's downfall.

"This is news to me. I keep meeting people from all walks of life everyday, but I have not met Shahabuddin, so you can relax," Yadav told rediff.com

He also denied that there was any dissidence in the RJD, saying, "Yeh sub hamara mamla hai [this is our business]."

The RJD's leader in the Lok Sabha, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, too denied any knowledge of Shahabuddin's presence in Delhi. "Aap presswale jo chahe likhiye, lekin yeh haqeeqat nahin hai [You reporters can write whatever you want, but this is not true]," he said.

But BJP workers insisted that the RJD politician was in Delhi. But the Centre is also not in a hurry to nab him because Shahabuddin has apparently been plotting the fall of Rabri Devi's government in Patna with Ranjan Yadav.

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