A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator from Bihar has landed in controversy after an audio clip of a heated conversation between him and a panchayat secretary surfaced online recently. The clip, which has gone viral, allegedly features Bhai Virendra, MLA from Maner, threatening the government official for failing to recognise him during a phone call.
Reportedly, the call had been made to enquire about the status of a death certificate for a woman named Rinki Devi. When the secretary answered the call but did not identify the caller as the local MLA, the legislator is heard taking strong offence.
“You don’t know Bhai Virendra? You want me to introduce myself? The whole country knows me,” the MLA can be heard saying in the clip. The secretary, however, could be heard responding calmly, asking the MLA to speak respectfully. “If you speak respectfully, I will do the same. If you talk crooked, I will talk crooked. I am not scared of you,” he replies.
Further agitated, the MLA then allegedly issues a threat, “Joote se maarunga (I will hit you with a shoe), and you can file a case if you want. You don’t follow protocol.”
Despite the constant provocation, the secretary could be heard trying to steer the conversation back to the primary issue, informing the MLA that the request is already in process. The MLA, however, continues to berate him, saying, “You have no right to this job if you don’t know your local MLA. Transfer? This won’t stop at transfer. Where are you even from?”
The audio, now viral, has sparked widespread criticism. It has also prompted comparisons to the popular web series Panchayat, which depicts frequent clashes between local politicians and bureaucrats in rural India.
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