Day after IT raids over alleged benami deals by Lalu and kin, many hurt in RJD-BJP clash in Patna

Patna: Many persons were injured in a clash between BJP and RJD workers here on Wednesday, a day after income tax department carried out raids at 22 locations in Delhi-NCR in connection with alleged benami deals of Rs10 billion by RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members.
The Bir Chand Patel Marg, where offices of various political parties are located, turned into a battle zone as RJD and BJP workers clashed and pelted stones at each other, police said. The clash took place in front of the BJP office, they added.
The office of the income tax department is also located on the northern end of Bir Chand Patel Marg. BJP leaders claimed that RJD supporters had attacked their party office in "an organised way".
Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders were quick to rebut the charge.
The police said stone pelters were being identified and action would be taken against them. "Nobody involved with the attack on BJP office will be spared. We have deployed additional forces in the area," said city superintendent of police Chandan Kushwaha.
The BJP had planned a statewide dharna on Wednesday to demand removal of RJD chief's two sons - deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and health minister Tej Pratap Yadav - from the Bihar cabinet over alleged concealment of assets in their election affidavits.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, who had last week accused Prasad, his MP daughter Misa Bharti and two sons of being involved in "corrupt" land deals worth over Rs10 billion and asked the Centre to probe one such transaction in Delhi, was to join the dharna at 1 pm.
Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai said the attack on the party office was a reflection on the desperation of RJD. "But such things cannot cow down BJP, which will continue its fight against corruption and lawlessness in Bihar. We will take the fight to the court as well as the people," Rai said.
Modi said chief minister Nitish Kumar should take a call if he wanted to continue with such lawlessness in which party offices were being attacked in a prohibited zone by RJD goons.. "How could RJD goons enter the prohibited area and why the police did not respond in time.
"The BJP knows how to give a befitting reply, but we don't believe in violence. The police remained a mute spectator. Over half-a-dozen BJP workers have sustained injuries," he added. RJD spokesman Manoj Jha said the outburst of RJD supporters was natural as the BJP men first attacked them. RJD MLA Shakti Singh Yadav said the BJP workers first threw bottles on them.