Expressing concern over the ‘deteriorating’ law and order situation in Bihar and unabated murders, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday hit at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying, “Where is Nitish Kumar who used to announce “main hoon na” to check the spiraling crimes.”
Modi, who hosted feast a day after being organised by RJD supremo lalu Prasad and the JD(U), said the murder, rangdari and extortion were going unabated. He was referring to the daylight murder of a jeweler near Rajapur bridge in the State capital on Saturday.
Deputy CM Tejaswi Prasad Yadav hit back at Modi and said the BJP leader could not remain without power and was struggling to become a Minister at the Centre.
Modi said a BJP delegation will soon meet Governor Ramnath Kovind and hand over a memorandum highlighting the law and order situation and urging him to interfere.
“Crime graph is going up and this is creating a perception across the State and outside that Bihar has returned to jungle raj era,” he alleged and added that the construction companies, which had been brought and engaged in infrastructure work by the former NDA Government led by Nitish, are packing up. “Crime was fully under control when there was JD(U)-BJP Government. The common perception is getting strengthened that Bihar is no longer a place to live and work peacefully and fearlessly,” he claimed.
Modi though avoided charging lalu for the crime rise, he said Nitish was working under the influence of RJD chief. “lalu cannot change his habit and will continue interfering in Government affairs. There are two power centres and Nitish is solely dependent on lalu. When Rabri Devi was Chief Minister, lalu acted as defacto CM and with power in his hands he is again behaving similarly,” the BJP leader said and asked Nitish to make lalu a constitutional authority similarly as Manmohan Singh during UPA 1 accorded status to Sonia Gandhi.
Modi also asked the CM to implement the suggestions of lalu which the RJD boss had publicly made for curbing crime and policing. lalu had advised the CM to remove the lunj-punj (lax) police officials from the field and take on police remand some notorious gangsters who are believed to be organising crimes from behind bards. lalu, who has been re-elected RJD president for ninth consecutive term unopposed on Saturday, made these observations in the wake of the sensational murder of two road construction engineers in Darbhanga over a fortnight ago.