Ex-CM blames Cong for Bhagalpur

Incidentally, the book was released by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of AICC general secretary and incharge of party’s Bihar unit Digvijay Singh.

Sinha, in his book, has accused Rajiv Gandhi of contributing to the mayhem by stopping him from transferring the Superintendent of Police, who had failed to control the riots. He has charged that Rajiv Gandhi fell in the trap of some Congress leaders — including former chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad and Speaker Shiv Chandra Jha — who he alleged wanted the violence to continue.

Bhagalpur had witnessed one of the country’s worst communal riots, which had turned Muslims in the state away from the Congress. More than 1,000 persons, mostly Muslims, were killed in the riots.

At a time when Muslims are again turning towards the Congress, the NDA has wasted no time, and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has been raising the issue at his Nyaya Yatra rallies across the state.

“Laloo Yadav should explain how can the Congress be termed secular. Who can give a more authoritative account of the events than the man who was the chief minister when the riots broke out?” Nitish said in one of his rallies. He also recalled Laloo’s speech in Parliament over the riots in which he had termed the Congress “communal.”

Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain today demanded an impartial probe into the riots. He said it had now been proved that the riots were a result of infighting among Congress leaders. “We will take the issue to the people and expose the Congress and the RJD,” Hussain said.

State Congress president Sadanand Singh refused to comment, saying it was a “personal” book. Former Assembly Speaker Shivchandra Jha, who has been accused of playing a “dubious” role in the riot, charged that the writer has lost his “mental balance”.