PATNA: Congress national spokesperson and party’s social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate on Saturday demanded immediate resignation of Bihar minister and senior BJP leader Jibesh Mishra who was recently held guilty in a 15-year-old fake drug case.
Talking to media persons at Congress headquarters in the state capital, Shrinate said that it was quite surprising that Jibesh Mishra, who was held guilty by a Rajasthan court, was still holding on the minister’s post. Mishra was one of the directors of the drug company which has been indicted by the Rajasthan court.
The Rajsamand (Rajasthan) court has not announced a prison sentence to Bihar minister but ruled that he be under probation for a certain period. Jibesh is maintaining a distance from media ever since the Rajashthan court’s order came.
Efforts to contact the minister, however, proved futile.
Shrinate expressed her surprise over Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s silence over the issue and continuation of Jibesh Mishra in his cabinet as a minister.
"He should have dropped from cabinet immediately or he should have stepped down on moral grounds," Congress leader said, adding that fake drugs affected public health, human lives and moral fabric of governance.
Slamming chief minister Nitish Kumar for his failure to contain crime in state, the Congress spokesperson alleged that murder, rape and loot have become order of the day in Bihar these days.
On the contrary, police beat its own trumpet after arrest of some petty offenders. "The mastermind in most of recent cases of murders are still at large,” she alleged.
Shrinate claimed that Bihar stood second after Uttar Pradesh in terms of murders.
She claimed that national crime record bureau’s official data revealed that incidents of murder, attempt to murder and crime against women have increased during 20-year NDA rule in Bihar. "Nobody is safe in Bihar now," she alleged.
Taking a jibe at state police for showing more interest in recovery of missing pet dog of LJP(RV) MP Rajesh Varma than solving serious offences, Shrinate said that the urgency of police in quick recovery of the MP’s pet showed state police’s priority of their job.
"I am not sure whether CM Nitish is mentally sound enough to realise the gravity of situation," she remarked.
Speaking on the occasion, AICC Bihar Incharge Krishna Allavaru held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah responsible for deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar. He also claimed that chief minister Nitish Kumar didn’t ‘control administration’ in the state. Assembly elections in the state are due in October-November.
Allavaru said that both PM Modi and Amit Shah should be blamed for converting Bihar into the ‘crime capital of India’. Murders of prominent businessmen in the state capital has created a fear psychosis among people, he added.
Referring to ongoing Election Commission (EC)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, AICC Bihar In-charge also threatened to launch an agitation if Aadhaar and ration card were not included in the list of documents required during verification of electoral rolls in state.
On July 4, Opposition INDIA bloc organised a protest march in Patna against EC’s SIR exercise.
Allavaru said the grand old party has been keeping a close watch on EC after Supreme Court’s direction to include Aadhaar and ration cards in the list of acceptable documents. "We will go on to the streets once again if Aadhaar and ration cards were included in the documents. We hope EC will take prompt action on SC’s directive," he added.
Reacting to Congress leaders’ remarks, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary attributed the reason for sudden rise in crime to land mafia, liquor mafia and sand mafia operating in the state. But such people will not be spared, whosoever they may be, he asserted.
