Sunday, February 13 2005 16:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Washing its hands of the controversy arising out of the screening of CDs containing footage of Gujarat riots in Bihar's Purnea and Kishanganj districts, the ruling RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) today (Feb 13, 2005) said that it had nothing to do with such CDs and the Election Commission was free to inquire into it.

''The RJD has nothing to do with the CDs containing the footage of the riots which took place in Gujarat. In fact, we are not aware of it,'' a four-member RJD delegation told the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer, K C Saha, in a written reply on behalf of the party's State president, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, to the Election Commission's notice seeking to know the 'factual position' about the display of the CDs specifically in the Rupauli constituency of RJD MLA Bima Bharati in Purnea district.

The party's national general secretary and Lok Sabha member, Ramkripal Yadav, its State campaign committee chairman Bhola Prasad Singh, treasurer Rakesh Ranjan and general secretary Rambachan Rai, MLC, met Saha at his official chamber this afternoon and submitted the reply.

Emerging from the meeting with Saha, Ramkripal Yadav said they had replied to some queries made by the commission on the issue, but declined to give details. ''The reply is confidential.''

When his attention was drawn to reports about screening of the CDs containing footage of the post-Godhra riots in the Rupauli constituency, Yadav said, ''We don't know about it. It is upto Bima Bharati, the RJD MLA from there, to make clarifications.''

On the RJD supremo Laloo Prasad's statement that the CDs were sent by his party after seeking the permission of the commission, Yadav said, ''Laloo ji is talking about the CDs containing qawalis which have been prepared by the party after receiving permission from the commission. There is nothing objectionable in these CDs,'' he said adding a copy of the commission's permission on CDs on qawalis was also attached with the reply submitted to the commission.

He accused the Opposition of playing 'dirty politics' by indulging in levelling 'false and frivolous' charges against the RJD about exploiting religion for electoral gains.

The RJD had yesterday expressed its inability to reply to the fresh notice issued by the commission on the issue as the party's president, Laloo Prasad, and the State party chief, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, were away for campaigning.