Ram Vilas Paswan: Nitish can’t protect Bihar, must quit

The political battle over the killing of LJP leader Brijnathi Singh intensified further on Monday after Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan demanded chief minister Nitish Kumar’s resignation.

The LJP chief, not leaving any stone unturned in attacking the state government over the growing lawlessness in Bihar, said, “Chief minister Nitish Kumar has lost all moral right to remain on the chair, he must quit immediately if he can’t protect the people of the state”. He added, “This phase is worse than the 90s when the RJD was in power”.

Though the police maintained that the killing was the outcome of a gang rivalry and also claimed that appropriate and strict measures were being taken to crack the murder case, Mr Paswan, who was in Patna, said that the situation in the state worsened after the formation of the Grand Secular Alliance and the chief minister was working under pressure.

“Nitish Kumar used to roar like a lion when he was with the NDA but after he joined hands with Lalu Yadav, he has lost his voice and can’t even act on his own”, LJP chief and Union minister Paswan said.

Not ruling out the possibility of political vendetta, he also demanded a CBI probe into the case.

“The state government must recommend a CBI probe as this is a high-profile murder case and the slain leader’s family members also repeatedly took Lalu Yadav’s name,”. Mr Paswan said.

LJP leader Brijanthi Singh was killed on the outskirts of Patna last Friday by some unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen. The police had recovered used AK 47 cartridges from the spot.

Earlier, LJP MP Chirag Paswan had demanded the imposition of President rule in the state.

Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, while terming all allegation against Lalu Yadav as baseless, said, “He (Ram Vilas Paswan) is known for his baseless statements. In his party, there are so many leaders with criminal background.”