Pappu Yadav raids parked ambulances purchased from Rudy's MP fund; police register FIR against JAP leader

Former Madhepura MP and Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) president Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav raided a place where over two dozen Ambulances purchased from the fund of Saran Lok Sabha member Rajiv Pratap Rudy were parked triggering a controversy.

The ambulances had Rudy's name and were bought using fund from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Accompanied with his supporters, Yadav visited the place Friday where the ambulances were standing and after a tiff with the security men went inside and removed tarpaulin cover from the stationary ambulances.

The former MP came down heavily on Rudy for not utilising the ambulanceds when COVID patients are dying for want of emergency services.

"People are paying as much as Rs 12,000 to ferry COVID patients to hospitals even though the hospital may be just 1 km away. There is an acute shortage of ambulances and the Saran MP has kept about 100 ambulances.

"He has distributed some ambulances among his own men.

There should be a probe into the matter. The MPLAD fund is public money," said the Jan Adhikar Party chief.

A supporter of Rudy has given a complaint to the police against the JAP leader for trespassing and vandalising the ambulances.

An FIR has been registered against Yadav with the Amnour police station Saturday, Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said.

The incident triggered a war of words between Rudy and Yadav.

Rudy, former union minister and sitting Lok Sabha member from Saran, said the ambulances were standing due to non- availability of drivers to ply them due of prevalence of COVID.

He attacked Yadav for playing politics over the issue and threw a challenge to arrange drivers for use of the vehicles.

Yadav retorted sharply and at a press conference in Patna paraded some drivers carrying their driving license who are prepared to run those stationed ambulances.

He appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to prevent such activities and utilise services of these drivers who are ready to work.

Yadav, a multiple times MP from Madhepura, carrying robinhood image has been seen helping COVID patients get oxygen cylinder and visiting hospitals to help the needy.

Recently, a video had gone viral showing him stopping a truck in which bouncers were transporting medical oxygen cylinders to a private hospital in the state capital.

JAP chief lost election from Madhepura in 2019 to JD(U) leader Dinesh Chandra Yadav.

Once a close confidant of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Yadav fell out with him before 2015 state assembly elections in Bihar and formed his own Jan Adhikar Party (JAP).

His wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a former Congress MP from Supual in Bihar. She lost Parliamentary polls in 2019.

Considered political bastion of RJD president Lalu Prasad, Rudy won the Saran Lok Sabha seat in 2014 as well as in 2019.

He served as union minister of state (independent charge) of skill development ministry in Modi's previous ministry.