Bihar Govt has even handed approach to high profile criminal

The Nitish Kumar government has adopted an even handed approach to deal with high profile criminal cases involving politicians and others, Minister in-charge of Home Bijendra Prasad Yadav said today.

Replying to a debate on the Home department's budget of Rs 7,447.94 crore for 2017-18 in the legislative Assembly, Yadav trashed the opposition BJP's charge that the state government patronised high profile criminals and did shoddy investigation in cases involving such persons.

Denying the charge, the minister said the Nitish Kumar government has adopted an even handed approach to deal with high profile cases involving politicians or other influential people and said even ruling coalition legislators and an ex-MP had to go to jail due to the neutral stand taken by the state government.
 

"The state government headed by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar neither frames any one, nor tries to come to rescue," Yadav said brushing aside allegations of Bihar being a crime-infested state.

"No part of the world and India is free from crime... all it matters is how you respond to incidents in a pro-active manner," he said.

Yadav also blamed the media for painting a poor picture of Bihar being a happy hunting ground for criminals.

Referring to Maoist insurgency gripping several states including Bihar, the minister said socio-economic disparity was mainly responsible for the problem and the state government was dealing with it.

"Even BJP-ruled states are affected with Maoist insurgency," he said countering the opposition's charge about spate in crime and deterioration of law and order situation in Bihar.

Taking exception to the BJP members staging a walk out from the House, Yadav said "You (BJP members) must remember that three parties put together polled more votes than the BJP even as it did not get mandate to form governments in two other states with the single largest party not being invited to form the governments in those states."

The House later passed the Home department's budgetary demands by voice vote.