Patna: Union Minister of State for Civil Supplies Md Taslimuddin is embroiled in a fresh controversy with a Bihar court issuing a non-bailable arrest warrant against him in connection with a case of fraud, prompting the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to demand his immediate dismissal from the Government.

First Class Judicial Magistrate, Patna Sudhir Kumar Sinha, had on October 5 issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Taslimuddin on the complaint of a dealer of Mahindra and Mahindra in Patna.

In the complaint, Lawly Sen and Company charged the Union Minister with committing a fraud as a cheque of Rs 3 lakh drawn in favour of the company by him, for purchase of a vehicle was dishonoured.

Taslimuddin purchased the vehicle five years ago.

The company's lawyer Nagendra Kumar said the court had asked the superintendent of police of Araria to execute the arrest warrant and fix January 20, 2005 as the next date of hearing the case.

BJP vice-president and Lok Sabha member S K Modi accused the Union Minister of being a habitual offender and not making payment to the company despite repeated requests and called for his immediate removal.

The court had also asked the SP of Araria, A K Singh to lodge a FIR in the case and take Taslimuddin into custody, Modi said.

Charging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with shielding the tainted RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) leader, despite the fact that Taslimuddin was facing serious criminal charges and was dropped from the Deve Gowda ministry earlier, Modi said, the Supreme Court had already taken strong exception to the manner in which the State Government had recently withdrawn a criminal case against him pending in Araria court.