Bihar parties want ban on Bhagwat

Bihar Opposition parties have asked the ruling NDA government not to allow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to visit Bihar. Mr. Bhagwat is scheduled to arrive in the State on Tuesday, his fourth time in the last 12 months, to participate in an RSS camp.

“We demand that Mr. Bhagwat’s entry into Bihar be banned… Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should be vigilant as there was tension in various districts of the State after his visit in February this year,” said State Congress leader and Party MLC Prem Chandra Mishra.

Alliance partner RJD too questioned Mr. Bhagwat’s frequent visits to Bihar. “Is it a coincidence that his recent visit had left a trail of communal tensions in different parts of the State?,” asked RJD leader Bhai Birendra.

Social and communal tensions had erupted in eight districts of the State in March and the Opposition leaders had blamed Mr. Bhagwat’s 10-day stay in Muzaffarpur district a little before that.

However, ruling party leaders wondered how the government could stop someone from visiting the State. “It’s a democratic country and no one can be barred from visiting any place,” said a JD(U) leader, preferring anonymity. The RSS chief will reach Patna on Tuesday morning and leave for Nawada to participate in a training programme for RSS workers.

Earlier, Mr Bhagwat had visited Muzaffarpur for 10 days in the first week of February to address farmers of Bihar and Jharkhand on the benefits of organic farming. He also then made the controversial statement there preparing an Army took six to seven months, but the RSS cadres would be battle-ready in two-three days. A case was subsequently filed against Mr. Bhagwat in a local court by a resident of the town for “insulting the Indian Army.”

Courtesy: The Hindu