PATNA: Is the Janata Dal (United) getting selective in punishing their leaders? This seems to be the big question after the party’s decision to suspend two of its legislators—Narendra Kumar Neeraj (alias Gopal Mandal) and Rana Gangeshwar Singh—following controversial remarks during public meetings.
While the party has adopted a strict stand on these two legislators, it seems quite protective about some of the top tainted leaders, who brought a bad name to the Nitish Kumar government in the past. If Neeraj and Singh face the music, the party has surprisingly gone slow on MLA Bima Bharati and Purnea MP Santosh Kushwaha, who were accused of facilitating the escape of don Awadesh Mandal (husband of Bima Bharti) from the police station on January 17.
“The police should have lodged FIR against Mandal,” said Nand Kishor Yadav, a senior BJP leader said.
That’s not all. In another case, Bihar’s Minorities’ Welfare minister and RJD leader Abdul Ghafoor was seen feasting with murder convict and Mohammad Shahabuddin inside the Siwan jail on March 6. The photo went viral on social media, leading to a major embarrassment for the Nitish government. But even then, the government came out with a cold response. Nitish said that he has ordered a probe and appropriate action would be initiated on the basis of its report.
Even the role of police was under controversial when RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, a rape accused, surrendered before a court on March 10 a month of issuance of his arrest warrant was issued. He surrendered only when his hope of getting bail was dashed.