Lalu-Shahabuddin audio tapes: BJP questions Nitish's silence

New Delhi/ Mumbai, May 7 (ANI): Dubbing the incident of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav conversing with his party's jailed former MP from Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin as "shocking", the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said it is appalling to know that a former state chief and a cabinet minister is taking orders from a criminal. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said the revelation has brought down Yadav's in a serious way. "It is shocking that a person, who has been a Chief Minister and a union minister, is talking to a criminal, a murder who has been sent to jail. It is shocking that he is taking orders from him. This has brought down the image of Lalu Yadav in a very serious way," said Swamy. Meanwhile, another BJP leader Shaina NC questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence on the issue and urged the people of the state to franchise their votes in the future cautiously. "Isn't it shocking that you have a leader like Lalu Prasad Yadav who is talking to a underworld don who is in jail. And then you have Nitish Kumar absolutely silent and not even commenting is this the ideology of Lalu Prasad ji, if it is then I think people of Bihar will well be aware of their future electoral choices," said NC. A news channel yesterday aired an audio clip of Lalu having a conversation with jailed Shahabuddin. It played a recorded conversation which it claimed took place between Lalu Prasad and his convicted MP. (ANI)