The inaugural session of the 6th conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India Region, here today was marred by a protest by RJD MLAs over a statement of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
The BJP leader had begun his speech talking about the steps taken in the state to ensure transparency in public life. "Ours was the first state in the country where it was made mandatory for the ministers to declare their assets," he said.
As Modi said, "The country is facing a situation, wherein as many as four former chief ministers are behind the bars in corruption cases," the RJD members started raising slogans, alleging that the deputy chief minister was using the event, which was attended by delegates from across the country as well as abroad, as a "political platform".
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RJD chief Lalu Prasad, a former Bihar chief minister, is currently in jail in two fodder scam cases.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan tried to intervene, reminding the agitated leaders that "this is not the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. You all have been invited here as guests. Please behave with the decency that is expected of respected guests".
Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary also appealed to the opposition leaders to stay calm, saying "this is not the floor of the House".
The RJD members, however, kept raising slogans and left the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre, where the conference was inaugurated in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and veteran parliamentarian Murli Manohar Joshi among others.
As the programme continued, the RJD leaders staged a demonstration outside the convention centre.
"It was a mischievous attempt by the deputy chief minister to settle political scores. If he so wanted to cite examples of corruption, why did he not speak about Nirav Modi and the multi-crore-rupee Punjab National Bank scam," RJD MLA Alok Mehta told reporters outside the venue.
His views were echoed by the other protesters such as RJD MLA Aktharul Islam Shahin and Satyadeo Ram of the CPI(ML) Liberation, who said the deputy chief minister could have avoided making such a remark "if he was speaking with a fair intention".
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, in a series of tweets, criticised Modi's speech as "illogical and abusive".
"Why did Sushil Modi not speak about his alleged involvement in the Srijan scam and of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a case of murder," he asked.
Yadav was scheduled to address the inaugural session of the event, but left for Bhojpur district to meet the family members of Mujahid Khan, a CRPF jawan who was killed in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week.
"Delegates attending the conference are welcome to the holy land of Bihar. I was excited about the event, but in deference to public sentiment toward martyr Mujahid Khan, I am leaving for Bhojpur. People are dismayed over the state government's apathy towards the slain CRPF jawan, whose funeral was not attended even by the DM and SP, and about whom a minister has given a shameful statement which has evoked no reaction from the CM and the Deputy CM," the RJD leader said in a statement.
State minister for Mines and Geology Vinod Singh, who is also the in-charge for Bhojpur district, had on Thursday said that his visit to the slain jawan's house would not have brought him back to life.
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