Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today charged the JD(U) government for being soft towards terrorists and Maoists operating in the state, despite 'Bihar connection' has come to light in several terror attacks in the country.
"The state government has failed to bust networks of terror and Maoist outfits in Bihar and book those people harbouring such elements despite the 'Bihar connection' coming to light in terror attacks and about 15 people from the state being arrested by the security agencies for their alleged role in such incidents," he said in a statement.
Modi said that Bhatkal and his associate's arrest have proved beyond doubt the existence of terror network in Bihar and local people harbouring such elements.
He took the Bihar Police to task for adopting 'sheepish' attitude by avoiding to take credit for the arrest of the IM co-founder and his associate and wanted to know whether the police brass did so due to political reasons.
"The Bihar Police has been known to seek publicity for even minor achievements...How could it refrain from taking credit for arrest of Bhatkal and his associate as it has been a major achievement for the country," Modi said.
He further claimed that the JD(U) government had put pressure on the central security agencies to show arrest of the IM founder and his associate from the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district despite the fact that the terrorists duo were arrested from Raxaul region, but in the end had to accept the credit after the Uttar Pradesh government refused to do so.
Even after making the arrest of the IM operatives, the Bihar police was reluctant to seek police remand of the terrorists and did so only after the NIA team arrived in Raxaul, the former deputy chief minister claimed.
Modi also sought to embarrass the JD(U) for describing the Gujarat encounter case victim Ishrat Jahan as the daughter of Bihar since her mother is said to have hailed from the state. Applying the same yardstick, he asked the ruling party to embrace Bhatkal as the 'son in-law' of the state as his father in-law Md Irshad Khan hailed originally from Samastipur district.
The IM co-founder lived in Darbhanga for several years by taking the name of Dr Imran and practising Ayurvedic medicine during that time he came in contact with local youths and lured them into terrorist and subversive activities, he claimed.
"Why did the Bihar police not take Bhatkal in police remand and question him for his purpose of stay in Darbhanga?" he asked.
