JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh has sent legal notices to Dainik Jagran, India Today and Republic TV for what he alleged was misleading reports insinuating that he was conspiring against the coalition government in Bihar.

Munger MP Singh has asked the media outfits to either apologise or present evidence for their reports, failing which he will file a defamation case against them after 15 days.

Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, claimed that reports suggested he had held a meeting with a section of MLAs to push for RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s appointment as the chief minister. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar allegedly came to know about the alleged conspiracy and that’s why he removed Singh from the post of the JDU chief, the reports allegedly suggested.

Singh’s notice to Dainik Jagran names group chairman Mohan Gupta, editor Vishnu Prakash Tripathi, local editor Pradip Kumar Shukla, Bihar editor Alok Mishra, and several other staffers.

Another notice has been sent to Republic network’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. And a third notice has been sent to India Today chairman Aroon Purie, anchor Chitra Tripathi, and Patna bureau chief Rohit Kumar.

In a post on social media on Saturday, Singh wrote, “On my request, honourable chief minister shri Nitish Kumar ji allowed me to leave the post of president and accepted to become the president himself. So that I can spend more time in my constituency. This decision of the chief minister is a matter of joy for me. But, some TV channels and a newspaper tried to tarnish my image by creating a baseless and fabricated story.”

“The news was broadcast with the intention of creating controversy in the party. The media tried to make me the villain of the party which I nurtured and grew since its inception. Legal notice has been sent to Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, Republic Bharat and Dainik Jagran newspaper for telecasting fabricated and factless news with the aim of tarnishing my image.”