The MLA’s house where the alleged rape took place. It was sealed Sunday. (Express Photo) The MLA’s house where the alleged rape took place. It was sealed Sunday. (Express Photo)

As suspended RJD MLA from Nawada Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a minor, surrendered before a Biharsharif court, a Bihar minister on Thursday contended that the Opposition BJP was repeatedly raising questions about his arrest or surrender because the suspended MLA belonged to a “particular caste”.

Bijendra Prasad Yadav, the seniormost minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, made the controversial remark in the Bihar Legislative Council while responding to a question posed by BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav.

Suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav surrenders in Bihar Sharif Court in alleged rape case(Earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/TjfsnLrNxm — ANI (@ANI_news) March 10, 2016

The BJP lawmaker had asked why Mukesh Pathak, the main accused in the murder of two Darbhanga engineers, was still at large.

Addressing the BJP members, the minister, a JD(U) leader, said: “You did not raise questions about Mukesh Pathak with as much aggression and frequency as you did for Raj Ballabh. Raj Ballabh can at best get life sentence if he is convicted (of rape). But Mukesh Pathak, facing murder charges, can even get death sentence.”

The minister contended, the BJP members opted to give “more importance to the Raj Ballabh case…because he is from a particular caste”.

Absconding for a month after the High Court did not take up his anticipatory bail plea, the Nawada MLA, who was a minister in the earlier RJD-led government, drove into the Biharsharif additional district and sessions court in an old Maruti car to surrender Thursday.

Raj Ballabh had earlier said that he would surrender “only before the court”. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

While the RJD had suspended Raj Ballabh, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had assured that law will catch up with the accused MLA.

The government was preparing a list to attach his properties in Nawada and Patna, valued at approximately Rs 10.5 crore.

The victim, a class X student, and her family members had threatened to immolate themselves unless the MLA was arrested or surrendered.

The girl, a resident of Rahui in Nalanda, was raped allegedly at the MLA’s house under Mufassil police station on February 6.

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