LJP gives memorandum to Governor on crime in Bihar

Patna: LJP, an ally of the BJP in NDA, today gave a memorandum to the Governor on “spiralling” crime situation in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

LJP delegation led by Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan and his son and MP Chirag Paswan met Governor Ram Nath Kovind and submitted the memorandum.

The memorandum quoting statistics of the state police headquarters said while the number of heinous crime in Bihar was 95,942 in 2001, it went up to 1,95,024 in 2014.

Likewise, there were 1,689 cases of kidnapping in 2001, which rose to 6,570 in 2014 and rape cases saw an increase from 786 in 2001 to 1,127 in 2014, the memorandum said.

They told the Governor that “majority of the victims were Dalits and many of them were workers of LJP”.

The LJP delegation also drew the Governor’s attention towards alleged closure of majority of 150 hostels meant for Schedule Castes in the state.

In response, Shyam Rajak, senior minister of the Nitish Kumar cabinet, made a scathing attack at the LJP chief.

“Paswanji is seeing crime only in Bihar, whereas the National Crime Record Bureau says crime rate in Madhya Pradesh is 298.8 per cent in a population of one lakh. MP is followed by BJP ruled states of Haryana with 240.4 per cent, Rajasthan 246.9 per cent and Chhattisgarh 221.1 per cent,” Rajak said in a statement here.

“In Bihar, the percentage is only 127.8,” he said.

Rajak advised Paswan to first give such memorandums to the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, which he said might help the public there.

“Like a political tourist, Paswan is making baseless statements for gains in the elections,” he said.

Rajak also suggested Paswan, who is also the Union Food Minister, to give time and streamline the functioning of his department.