The Opposition has toughened its stand on the demand for resignation of Bihar Rural Works and Panchayati Raj Minister Bhim Singh for his controversial remarks on the martyred Army personnel shot dead by Pakistani soldiers in Poonch sector of J&K.
Five Army personnel including four from Bihar were killed when Pakistani soldiers attacked them on Tuesday.
RJD chief lalu Prasad told mediapersons that Bhim Singh made derogatory remarks against the Army and the police personnel at a time when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Cabinet colleagues were already drawing flak for showing allegedly complete insensitivity to the martyred soldiers and their bereaved families.
The Chief Minister should not make any further delay in dropping the Minister from his Cabinet as the entire country is disturbed and anguished over Singh’s remarks, lalu added.
“The Minister’s observation that the Army and the police personnel join their services to get martyred is too much,” RJD chief noted.
lJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan said that Singh’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of one and all and hence he does not deserve to continue in the office anymore.
Bhim Singh should not consider that he has got a clean chit by apologising for his controversial remarks against the martyrdom of the Indian soldiers, Paswan added.
Senior BJP leader and former State Minister Giriraj Singh said that Nitish Kumar should sack Bhim Singh from the Ministry if his conscience is really clear on the issue.
“Why we should expect a sensitive comment from a Minister when the CM himself is insensitive,” he remarked.
Unperturbed over the growing demand for his resignation, Singh said that he has already apologised for his remarks and hence the matter should be closed now.
Meanwhile, family members of a martyred soldier, Vijay Kumar Rai have begun their indefinite strike at Ananadpur Thekha village in Bihta area of Patna from Friday.
They are demanding that Army chief General Bikram Singh should visit their village to explain what action the armed forces are taking against the Pakistani Army after their assault on Indian soldiers in Poonch.
They expressed their anguish over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “silence” after the Pakistan Army’s assault. They also registered their protest over the way Nitish Kumar is not allegedly giving any thought of visiting their village after the death of the Army sepoy.
JD(U) MP Ranjan Yadav also visited the village to persuade them to call off their strike but he was not successful in his mission.