Does Raja Bhaiya feed people to crocodiles? Lallantop Interview answers 8 killer questions
Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya is a name quite popular in in the political circles of Uttar Pradesh. The indpendent MLA from Kunda constituency, a district in Pratapgarh, is a powerful politician since 1993. His spar with BSP supremo Mayawati and his coziness with SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is hidden from none. Being a Thakur leader, Singh has languished in jails when Mayawati was on the CM's seat in UP.
Raja Bhaiya minces no words. He is accused of throwing his enemies as food for the crocodiles in his ponds. At his home turf, Pratapgarh, Singh enjoys the stature of Robin Hood or the messiah of the poor people. His janta darbars are preferred by his people over a court of law.
In a one-on-one interview with Saurabh Dwivedi, Editor, The Lallantop, Raja Bhaiya spoke about his crocodiles, his equation with Mayawati, his time in jail, and his zeal to fly.
Here are 8 wacky questions that Raja Bhaiya answers in the interview.
1. HOW MANY CROCODILES ARE THERE IN THE PONDS OF RAJA BHAIYA?
Raja Bhaiya smirked at the question, as to how it hasn’t changed in the last 20-25 years. He expressed his astonishment over the fact that journalists don’t shy away from asking him this question.
He said the ponds in his Bhadri real estate, which are alleged to have crocodiles, actually have fish in them. He said that the argument that he keeps crocodiles doesn’t stand because keeping crocodiles along with fish is simply not possible. He said he does fish farming on 600 bigha of land, which he has.
But, he did concede that since the Ganga is also attached to his lake, there might be one or two crocodiles coming from there. “River Ganga also flows through my ponds and there might be one or two Gangetic Gharial (an endangered specie of crocodile found in river Ganga), that might have come along. Otherwise I don’t know of any such crocodile in my ponds,” Singh said.
The infamous crocodiles in the ponds of Singh were also famous for being fed with his enemies, though the Kunda MLA has time and again called it figment of imagination of his opponents.
2. DID HE SHOW SLIPPERS TO MAYAWATI AT THE GUEST HOUSE?
Asked on his role in the famous Guest House incident, famously known as Guest House Kand, on June 2, 1995, Singh straightaway denied his invovement in that incident. On the fateful day, BSP supremo Mayawati was attacked by SP workers for pulling down the government of Mulayam Singh Yadav with whom her party was in alliance.
Asked if he allegedly showed his slippers to Mayawati on that day, he said that showing slippers to elders is not a part of his culture and mannerisms. “I have always tried to maintain the decorum of the the position where I have been, and have never used foul language. I also have nothing to do with the State Guest house incident,” Singh said.
He might have denied his role in the tragedy but his tussles with Mayawati have been hidden from none. Mayawati, in all of her tenures as CM, has kept the Kunda MLA behind bars in numerous cases. This was countered by Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has always been soft on the Kunda MLA.
3. DID RAJA BHAIYA THROW GLASSES DURING RUCKUS IN UP ASSEMBLY?
Asked if he was part of the MLAs' fight in UP Assembly in 1997, when Kalyan Singh was the CM, he said that though he did not throw shoes or slippers at first, but he did it a few times in self-defence.
Laughing while recalling the incident, he said he attacked some but only in self-defence.
“Only in self-defence (laughs). I used whatever I got in hand,” he said.
It was an embarrassing incident, Singh recalled, where MLAs threw microphone stands, paperweights, glass shards and furniture against each other.
4. WHY IS RAJA BHAIYA CALLED BAHUBALI?
On being asked why Raguraj Pratap Singh is called Bahubali, he alludes it to a number of cases which were filed against him under the Mayawati government, including the draconian POTA act. The Kunda MLA said there is only one case according to him, which is pending at present and all other cases were filed in Mayawati’s regime.
“In 2002, the cases were slapped against me. I have faced trial in all of these cases and got bail. The Mayawati government fell on August 28, 2003, and by then, around 45-50 cases were filed against me.”
He blamed Mayawati for the POTA act, and how he was paraded through different jails of UP.
5. DID HE HAVE DURBAR IN JAILS?
In one such instance, when he landed in the jail of Pratapgarh, his home turf, it was said that he conducted janata darbar for the people in the jail. Negating this, Singh said that there was no janata darbar held, but he played a lot inside the jail.
He also said that the jail officials smirked with him, saying that if ever he becomes a jail minister, he will figure out the income channel of the officials.
6. HOW WAS HIS TIME IN JAIL?
For a long time under Mayawati’s regime, Raja Bhaiya had to be in jail. He said that he was kept in the worst conditions in solitary confinement where he spent scorching summer days under roofing. He said he wasn’t allowed to meet anyone, since he was charged under POTA and there were no outside connections.
Asked if he ever faced the threat of being killed in jail. He said, "Hamko kabhi kuch nahi laga.” He said he never felt any threat whether he remained inside the jail or outside.
7. DID RAJA BHAIYA ASK FOR JAIL MINISTRY FROM SP IN 2012?
Raja Bhaiya was imprisoned in 2010 and he was in jail for around 26 months untill the government changed in UP in 2012. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP swept the state and on the same day, the Kunda MLA was released and made the Food and Civil Supplies minister from 2012-14 by the SP government.
Asked if he ever asked for this post from SP, the Kunda MLA refused saying he didn’t ask for any ministry from SP. He said that the party sent him to campaign for elections in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra on his capabilities. He wanted to press on the fact that he being the minister in SP government was more of his ability as a leader than his back-hand discussions with the party.
8. CAN HE FLY A PLANE?
The Kunda MLA's grandfather, his father, as well as his grandmother were trained pilots. Asked if he can fly a plane though he doesn’t have a license, he said that he aspires to obtain one; and even today when he gets time, he learns it.
He also recalled incidents including his own when his father, grandfather and he himself have suffered air crashes in three different incidents, but all survived. In his words, “Jo udega who girega (The one who flies will fall, and there is nothing wrong in it)."