BJP targets Nitish Kumar over Shahabuddin, prohibition issues

Seeking to take credit after RJD strongman Mohd Shahabuddin's bail was cancelled, BJP today said Bihar government was forced to move the apex court due to its public agitation and targeted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming the rule of law "no longer exists" in the state.
BJP ally and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan also attacked Kumar saying the apex court's observations on his government's conduct is a matter of shame and added that the manner in which the murder convict was welcomed in the state showed that the "law of jungle" prevails there.
Both the parties also hit out at Kumar over the Patna High Court decision to quash prohibition law, saying it was more of a "tuglaqi farman" (dictatorial order) as it envisioned jailing all adult members of a family for an individual's alleged crime.

"BJP is happy that the victims of Shahabuddin's crimes have got justice and he has been sent to jail. There was a lot of anger among the masses and we understood it.
"BJP held protests at block levels and forced the state government to move the highest court after it facilitated his bail earlier by not contesting it strongly," its spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters.
"The party welcomes the apex court's order," he said adding that the way Shahabuddin was felicitated by leaders of the ruling alliance proved its apprehensions that his release will lead to "jungle raj" in the state.

The Chief Minister decided to move the apex court as he was also angry with Shahabuddin for his jibes at him, Hussain said. The RJD leader had called Kumar a "chief minister of circumstances". Kumar's JD(U) and RJD are in alliance in Bihar.

Attacking Kumar, Paswan, who is a Union Minister, said the Bihar government slept as the underworld don convicted in a case of murder was granted bail in all the cases.
He also targeted the JD(U) chief over the prohibition law, alleging it was a political stunt as he had in his previous terms paved the way for opening liquor shops across the state.

"His intentions were never clean. More people are dying of drinking spurious liquor than they did by consuming liquor," he said.
Hussain said the Nitish government on the one hand banned consumption of liquor while on the other helped its manufacturers in the state by waiving taxes.
"And then he went preaching prohibition in other states. He was doing politics in its name," he said, adding that BJP in principle supported prohibition but was against the draconian law.