Union Minister Giriraj Singh's allegation that the Nitish Kumar government was discriminating against his constituency evoked a flurry of angry responses from the JD(U) and Congress on Tuesday, with a Bihar minister asking the BJP leader to stop shedding "crocodile tears".
Singh, whose party is a constituent of the state's ruling coalition, had recently accused the government of meting out 'sautela vyavahaar' (step-motherly treatment) to his Begusarai seat, hit by floods, while Nalanda, Kumar's home district, was declared drought-hit "despite adequate rainfall".
"It is a stated policy of Nitish Kumar that those affected by calamities like flood and drought have the first claim to the states exchequer. His government does not discriminate against any region," state minister Shravan Kumar, considered close to the chief minister, told reporters in Nawada.
"He (Giriraj Singh) should stop shedding crocodile tears for Begusarai. As an MP and a member of the Union cabinet, he has some accountability of his own towards Begusarai. He should take some initiative instead of training guns on others," he said.
Another JD(U) leader excoriated Singh for his "should I commit suicide" remark made in the context of his claim of alleged bias of the state authorities towards the chief minister's home district.
"Giriraj Singh often speaks a language that seeks to give the impression that he is bold and courageous. But his rhetoric, as in his talk of suicide, gives the impression that he is a coward," JD(U) spokesman Nikhil Mandal said in the state capital.
On a tour of his constituency over the weekend, Singh, when asked to comment on some JD(U) leaders taking exception to his allegation of preferential treatment to Nalanda, had snapped, asking "should I commit suicide then? What am I expected to do if not raise the issues of my constituency as an elected representative".
Congress MLA Ramdeo Rai, who represents Bachhwara assembly segment in Begusarai, too, deprecated the "helplessness" betrayed by the Union minister.
"Why is he talking of suicide? He has so much clout. If he cannot get anything done for his constituency, he should put in his papers," Rai said.
Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra mocked the BJP leader for his outburst, saying he should be booked for attempt to commit suicide. JD(U) leaders, who may have provoked him to give such a statement should be booked for abetment to suicide, he said.
Meanwhile, the RLSP, headed by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha and a constituent of the opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar, said the allegation of step-motherly treatment to the BJP leaders constituency "could be true".
"It could be true. Our experience, when Kushwaha was the MP from Karakat Lok Sabha constituency and a central minister between 2014 and 2019, has been similar.
"Nitish Kumar saw Kushwaha as a potential challenger to him from among the OBCs. So he tried his best to throw a spanner whenever our party president proposed to do something for his constituency," RLSP national general secretary Madhaw Anand told PTI.
Anand said now that Singh was being seen as a potential chief ministerial candidate of the BJP, similar tactics could be adopted against him.
A section of BJP leaders and supporters, particularly those from the Union minister's Bhumihar community, has been favouring him as the state's next chief minister.
Singh, however, virtually ruled himself out of contention at a press conference in Muzaffarpur earlier in the day, when he also hinted that he may hang up his boots at the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modis current tenure.
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