Bhopal, June 27 Leaders of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress have united against Ram Bai, the woman MLA of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from Pathariya in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh.
The Congress and BJP leaders have accused the BSP legislator's family of direct involvement in the murder of a Congress leader and threats to his other family members.
Former Madhya Pradesh Finance minister and senior BJP leader Jayant Malaiya's son, Sidharth Malaiya on Friday came together with late Congress leader Devendra Chaurasia's son, Soumil to accuse Ram Bai of pressurizing Chaurasia's family to compromise in the murder case and misusing her position through police officers, who have framed false charges of attempt to murder against Soumil's cousins.
Devendra Chaurasia was murdered in the Hatta town of Damoh district on March15 last year, three days after he had left the BSP and joined Congress in presence of former chief minister Kamal Nath. Ram Bai's husband, his brother and several other persons were accused of the murder. Ram Bai's brother in law Chandu Singh is in jail and the murder case is being heard in a court.
Sidharth Malaiya and Soumil Chaurasia told some media persons in Damoh that Ram Bai has been pressurizing Soumil to compromise in the murder case.
Malaiya and Chourasia also took part in a protest in Hatta town on Friday against the alleged high handedness of officers of the police and jail department. Hundreds of people took part in the joint protest held by Congress and BJP leaders. The protesters also called for a Hatta bandh.
Ram Bai and Jayant Malaiya have had a long political rivalry in the Damoh area. As a seven-time MLA and senior minister from Damoh Malaiya was extraordinarily strong during the BJP rule till 2018. He lost to the Congress party's Rahul Singh in the 2018 Assembly polls.
However, Ram Bai won from the nearby Pathariya seat in 2018 beating BJP's Lakhan Patel.
Since then, her clout has increased in the area. The rivalry between the two leaders has also intensified further, as Ram Bai has been increasing her closeness with BJP leaders including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, ever since the BJP regained power in the state.
( With inputs from IANS )