Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday blamed the BJP for recent violence in the Nalanda and Rohtas districts of the state and categorically denied that it was a ”failure of his administration.” The Bihar Janata Dal-United leader reassured that there is peace everywhere across the state and law and order situation is being monitored closely. “There is peace everywhere in the state now. We are keeping a watch on the situation at both places (Nalanda and Rohtas). It was not a failure of the administration. Some have deliberately caused this unrest as a part of the conspiracy,” Bihar CM Nitish Kumar told reporters.
Targeting AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, the Bihar Chief Minister said that the Hyderabad AIMIM MP was actually an ”agent of the BJP.” Kumar alleged that Owaisi and his party was indirectly helping BJP in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar had earlier asserted that communal tensions during Ram Navami festivities at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns were triggered by some people indulging in “gadbad” (mischief) and rejected the BJP’s charge that it indicated poor law and order situation in the state.
Interacting with media persons on Saturday, Kumar also made light of Union Home Minister Amit Shah cancelling his tour of Sasaram in view of riots, remarking, “I don’t know why he was coming and I don’t understand why he decided not to come”.
Importantly, BJP on Monday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for communal violence in the state and said that he seems to have lost his will to govern and should ‘stop dreaming about becoming prime minister and instead take care of the state’.
Former Bihar deputy CM and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at the state’s ruling alliance leaders for blaming the BJP and right-wing organisations for violence wondering why the government has then not then exposed such a conspiracy.
If it is a BJP conspiracy, then why did you not expose it? Lakhs of people who participated in Ram Navami processions across the state are not BJP members but belong to the Hindu society. They can be from any party. For the first time in his over 17 years tenure as CM, Nitish Kumar has been unable to control such a situation even after so many days,” he said. Sushil Modi added that the violence was reported from places that are “known sensitive areas” but still preventing measures were not taken.
The state police have so far arrested over 100 people in connection with communal riots at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif that erupted during the Ram Navami festivities. Vehicles, houses and shops were torched and several people were injured in communal flare-ups reported in both towns. In Sasaram, the district administration ordered the imposition of Section 144 on Friday afternoon after re-eruption of clashes, which first broke out the previous evening.
