Won't work for Muslims, Yadavs as they didn't vote for me: JD(U) leader

Janata Dal (United) MP Devesh Chandra Thakur on Monday sparked a controversy after he said that he would not entertain requests from people of the Muslim and Yadav communities as they did not vote for him in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Thakur won the Sitamarhi Lok Sabha seat in Bihar with a margin of over 51,000 votes against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Arjun Rai.

A video of the event where the JD(U) MP can be heard venting out his displeasure with the Yadav and Muslim communities of the Sitamarhi has gone viral on social media.

"Those (from Muslim and Yadav communities) who want to come, can come, have tea and snacks, and then leave, but don't expect any help. When you saw Narendra Modi's image in the arrow (JD-U's symbol), why shouldn’t I see the lantern (RJD's symbol) and Lalu Yadav's face in yours?" Thakur asked.

Sharing an anecdote of a similar incident when a person from the Muslim community came to him to seek assistance. "A person from the Muslim community came to me for some work. I clearly told him that he had come for the first time, so I wouldn't say much. Otherwise, I don't let go easily. I asked him if he voted for the RJD? And interestingly, he agreed. I told him to have tea and leave. I won't do your work," Thakur said.

Meanwhile, the RJD hit back at Thakur, saying that though his party is in alliance with the BJP, he should not forget that he is now representing Sitamarhi in Parliament.

"Any leader, be it an MP, MLA or even a Prime Minister, does not belong to any caste or community. When he wins an election, he becomes the representative of an area. Devesh Chandra Thakur is now an elected MP of Sitamarhi. For him, every person in that area should be equal, and he should work for everyone without categorising caste and community. Though his party is in alliance with the BJP, he should not get saffronised," RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwary said.