PATNA: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Nitish government by contending that he was saddened to support a regime that was unable to check unbridled crimes, playing with the lives of the state’s people.
Chirag’s remarks came barely two days after he heaped praise on a diehard political opponent of chief minister Nitish Kumar and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor for playing his ‘honest’ role in Bihar politics.
Before leaving for Gaya Ji to address a rally, Chirag told the media in Patna that people were falling victim to a crime spree as the administration had seemingly bowed down before criminals.
"Why are such criminal incidents taking place? Incidents of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape are continuously happening in Bihar," he remarked.
He alleged that the people of Bihar were no longer feeling safe and asked why criminal activities were not being checked. “It seems the administration has failed to stop them,” he contended, while expressing concern for families who have lost loved ones to rising crime.
“Criminals are striking people at their will, anywhere, anytime, which concerns all, including me,” he asserted. He said it is both condemnable and shameful. Arrests have been made, and action has been taken, but the question is why such criminal incidents are not getting checked. Morale of the anti-socials is high, he added.
He alleged that the criminals might have their nexus with the administration. “It may be criminal incidents are taking place to defame the government before the election, but still administration has the responsibility to check crimes. Either there is the administration’s complicity, the administration is trying to hush up cases, or the administration has become completely incapable of dealing with the situation,” he asserted.
Chirag has repeatedly expressed his displeasure over the failure of the police to check criminal activities. The frequent attacks on the NDA government in Bihar, of which his party is a part at the Centre, have left political pundits confused.
Chirag had fielded his party’s candidates on 135 out of the total 243 seats in the 2020 assembly election by pulling out of the NDA, and damaged the prospects of JD (U) candidates in nearly 28 seats by fielding his party’s nominees against them.
Although Chirag has claimed that he would contest this assembly election as an ally of NDA, his consistent attacks on the Nitish government on law and order before the election raise doubts whether it is a ploy to extract more number of seats during seat sharing for the forthcoming election or something more than that.
Chirag has already announced to contest the assembly election from an unreserved seat. “I am ready to take responsibility, which party leaders decide,” Chirag had told the media earlier and expressed his willingness to serve the state.