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Journalism of Courage
Three days after Amit Shah said that if the BJP was voted to power in Bihar, it would “hang rioters upside down“, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday reminded the Union Home Minister that an NDA government was in power in the state “when the son of a BJP leader had been arrested for violence during Ram Navami processions at several places”. The Bihar CM was referring to the 2018 arrest of Arijit Shaswat Choubey, the son of Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ashwini Choubey, and the fact that he was granted bail within a week.
The Bihar CM, who denied any administrative lapse behind the communal violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif, said the government is probing the matter and would reveal its findings soon. He, however, sought to know why the violence happened only in Sasaram and Biharsharif, which were close to venues of the Union Home Minister public meetings on April 2. While Shah had to cancel his Sasaram meeting, he attended the one at Hisua (Nawada), around 35 km from Biharsharif.
Talking to reporters, the Bihar CM said: “We [JD(U)] had just returned to the NDA when there was violence during Ram Navami processions in 2018. We had to arrest the son of a BJP leader.” Praising Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s earlier NDA regime at the Centre, Nitish also said: “Atalji’s regime was very good.”
Arjit Shashwat, then 36, was arrested for raising “provocative slogans” at a Ram Navami procession in Bhagalpur. He was arrested after he surrendered on April 1, 2018, and was later released on bail. During the Ram Navami that year, the state had witnessed violence in nine districts, including Aurangabad, Nawada, Bhagalpur and Samastipur. Though Bihar Police had made over two dozen arrests, including of some BJP and Bajrang Dal leaders, all are on regular bail since then.
The spat also had an impact in the House. Former minister and BJP MLA Jiwesh Mishra had to be marshalled out on the concluding day of the Budget session, for creating a ruckus, after Mishra kept insisting that the CM — who is also the state home minister — should respond to his question on the communal violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif. Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary asked him to listen to the reply of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, but when Mishra persisted with his demand, he was ordered to be marshalled out.
As a struggling Mishra was being carried out by the marshalls, he said: “Is this the way the Speaker should have treated me for asking the government questions?” He later added: “I wanted the CM to reply himself, as my question pertained to law and order, and the CM holds the home portfolio.”
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha of the BJP, said: “The government neither has answers on the Saran hooch tragedy, nor on the recent communal clashes.”
Former CM and RJD leader Rabri Devi also blamed the BJP for the recent communal violence. “Everyone knows who foments communal violence. Our government is investigating the recent incident and will reveal the names of the accused soon,” said the former CM.
