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Journalism of Courage
RJD today sought to drive a wedge between the NDA allies – JD(U) and BJP – after some BJP leaders reportedly claimed that the ongoing protest during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ‘Adhikar Yatra’ was aimed at the Chief Minister and his party and not at the saffron party.
“It is for the first time that the BJP leaders have disowned him during his hour of trouble and distanced themselves from the failure of the state government which has created public anger in several districts,” senior RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Abdul Bari Siddique said at a press conference.
Quoting the state unit BJP president C P Thakur’s reported statement from Surajkund (Haryana) the manifestation of public anger was against the state government and not the saffron party,he asked Chief Minister to explain whether the failures of his government was his alone and that of the JD(U) or a collective failure involving the BJP too.
The senior RJD leader also quoted another BJP leader and the health minister Ashwani Chaube that the protests were outpouring of discontent against the Chief Minister and not against the NDA government and asked the latter to come clean on the allegations by his colleague in the council of ministers.
The RJD leader also questioned the Chief Minister’s commitment on the special status issue and sought to know whether he will prevail upon the NDA to include the agenda in its election manifesto in 2014 general elections.
Undeclared emergency in Bihar during Nitish rule: RJD
Opposition RJD today charged Nitish Kumar government with having imposed ‘undeclared Emergency’ in Bihar to suppress protest by people during his ongoing ‘Adhikar Yatra’.
“An undeclared emergency-like situation prevails in Bihar at the moment,particularly in those districts being visited by the chief minister to address public meeting to mobilise support to the special status demand for Bihar,” RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddique told reporters.
Siddique along with state unit president Ramchandra Purve and Ramkripal Yadav alleged that opposition leaders in districts have been taken into preventive custody,including 926 from RJD,while shops and market places were closed.
People going to public meetings are being frisked by the cops in the districts where Kumar has visited to address public meetings,they said adding the situation reminded one of Emergency days.
“A so-called democratic leader like the chief minister has been forced to impose an undeclared emergency to ensure success of his Adhikar yatra,” the RJD leaders said and demanded Kumar’s resignation.
The RJD leaders slammed Kumar for alleging conspiracy by opposition parties to sabotage his political programmes by orchestrating public protest against him.
They claimed the agitations were spontaneous outbursts by the general people who felt cheated by the NDA government,which had made false promises to them.
They said RJD had drawn ‘solace’ from Kumar’s ‘conspiracy theory’ as he had in a way conceded that the party still enjoyed mass support despite being out of power for the past seven years.
They also criticised Kumar for defending the conduct of local JD(U) leaer Ranveer Yadav in Khagaria district where he was seen snatching an automatic rifle from a policeman’s hand and firing in the air to disperse the protesters.
The RJD leaders asked Kumar to see “the writing on the wall” against his NDA government and respect the public anger and democratic right of the people to vent their ire at the government’s non-performance.
