‘Union Cabinet is jumbo ke baap. Let them limit size, we’ll be happy to follow’

In view of the crime rate and the overall conditions, don’t you think the RJD government should resign? Dr Singh
Do you know what the crime rate is in Bihar, in other states and the national average? In a recent seminar in Delhi, I told them not to tarnish Bihar with forged data. You look at the National Crime Records Bureau reports — prepared not by me, but by L.K. Advani. In none of the classified crimes, Bihar figures among the top five. Many of the states that you term as ‘‘developed and advanced’’, record the maximum crime.

Why doesn’t the state take tough measures to check crime? Vijay Vatyani
Checking crime should not mean police raj. I don’t believe in all this ‘‘shoot at sight’’ police policy. Look at what Mayawati is doing in UP — using police to oppress the Opposition. Have I ever done that? Our police is doing excellent work, though it never gets highlighted. Look at the recent kidnapping of a businessman and a doctor. Didn’t the Bihar police rescue them and arrest the culprits?

In comparison with the progress achieved by states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, aren’t you ashamed at Bihar’s state of affairs? How do you compete with them? S. Ganesh
You tell me what Andhra has achieved on its own. How many people have got jobs? Why do farmers commit suicide? What is happening to the rural areas? You call that advancement? Now granted that every other state is more developed than Bihar — isn’t there a responsibility on the Centre to help Bihar catch up? Instead, it is segregating Bihar like a colony.

What is the role of Bihar in a developed India? In the next 20 years what is your development plan? Vikas
Road, electricity, health, irrigation and education will get priority. After bifurcation, we lost all our industries. We will come up with a vast network of agro-based industries. I will put Bihar on India’s development map in the present tenure, not in 20 years. But the Centre is discriminating against Bihar — there are no international flights from Bihar, even the National Highways in the state do not get funds. Tell me, how will we develop?

Why do you blame the Centre for your faults? Why is everything that’s wrong with Bihar a BJP conspiracy? Munir Parikh
See Bihar’s problems historically. How the Centre discriminated against the state. In the undivided Bihar, we had coal and iron. The Centre took control of all the coal and the state was getting a cess on it. Then suddenly a court order said that the state cannot collect cess. Coal from this land was taken and used for development elsewhere. The competitive advantage we could have had for starting the steel industry was also neutralised by the Centre — now iron goes from here to Chandigarh and comes back as the bucket that we buy.

Is this not colonisation? Bihar’s savings are invested in other states. The FCI procures foodgrain from all states but not from Bihar as they say our protein content is less. I can give you many such examples. As for the BJP, they only happen to be ruling at the Centre now. All the former PMs, including V.P. Singh, Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral, discriminated against us. Only Rajiv Gandhi was appreciative of the concerns we raised. I oppose the BJP because they are fascists and rioteers. They raise slogans of swadeshi and put the nation on sale.