PATNA: BJP leaders in Bihar were on Wednesday taken aback by posters appearing in the southern Nawada district claiming that Union minister and local MP Giriraj Singh was “missing MP”.
The posters, carrying a big picture of the minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), were found pasted on walls and electricity poles in Rajauli subdivision of the Maoist-affected Nawada district.
“An award of Rs 11,000 will be given to whoever traces Giriraj Singh,” said the posters in Hindi, accusing the firebrand BJP leader of not visiting Rajauli ever since he won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Nawada.
Singh, who often remains in the news mainly for his strong opinions on issues related to the minority communities, has reportedly been facing public resentment in his parliamentary constituency for the past six months.
Even though it was yet to be ascertained who put out the posters, BJP sources said a “large section” of the party’s leaders in Nawada had turned against Singh lately due to his “inadequate attention” to local issues. Similar “missing posters” about Singh had cropped up in Barbigha in the neighbouring Seikhpura district in 2016.
“The posters speak about a number of the civic issues that need to be resolved. But the MP has been sincerely doing his bit of work to address these issues,” said Ranjeet Kumar, president of BJP’s Rajauli unit. “He keeps visiting the constituency regularly. These posters are the handiwork of our political rivals and antisocial elements,” he added.
Giriraj Singh remains one of BJP’s popular faces in Bihar, but repeated appearance of such posters has sparked concerns among senior leaders of the party.
“It is unfortunate that such posters have come up against an elected representative. We are trying to know who are behind this act,” said BJP state spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel. Giriraj Singh could not be contacted for his comments on the matter.