‘Deliberate’, ‘part of a conspiracy’: Nitish Kumar attacks BJP over Ram Navami violence

"We are keeping a watch on the situation at both places (Nalanda and Rohtas). It was not a failure of the administration. Some have deliberately caused this unrest as a part of the conspiracy," the CM told reporters.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

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Days after communal violence broke out in parts of Bihar following Ram Navami celebrations on March 31, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hit out at the BJP on Wednesday, claiming that there was “peace everywhere in the state now” and the unrest was “deliberately caused as part of a conspiracy”.

“We are keeping a watch on the situation at both places (Biharsharif and Sasaram). It was not a failure of the administration. Some have deliberately caused this unrest as a part of the conspiracy,” the CM told reporters, adding that “door-to-door searches” were underway.

Doubling down against the BJP, the Bihar CM added: “The truth will come to light in a few days…The whole country knows that the BJP does politics of hatred and appeasement.” Kumar’s remarks come a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP was bringing in goons to create riots in her state.

So far, there have been 130 arrests and 15 FIRs linked to the clashes during the Ram Navami procession in Biharsharif, with prohibitory orders in place in parts of the state. In the fallout of the clashes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Sasaram stood cancelled, making it a flashpoint between the two political camps.

The Bihar CM went on to taunt Amit Shah over his much-publicised “rioters will be hung upside down if BJP comes to power in Bihar” remark at a rally in Nawada district on Sunday, and reminded him of riots “in 2017 when our government had to arrest the son of a BJP leader”.

Meanwhile, a ruckus ensued in the Bihar assembly on Wednesday, as BJP leaders marked their protest against the clashes in Biharsharif and Sasaram, the district headquarters of Nalanda and Rohtas, respectively, accusing the state government of negligence. Following the chaos, BJP MLA Jivesh Mishra was carried out of the House by marshals, on order of Bihar Assembly Speaker.

#WATCH | Ruckus in Bihar Assembly over recent incidents of violence in Nalanda & Rohtas. pic.twitter.com/Rq3VgCbO16

— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2023

The assembly had plunged into turmoil over the unrest on Monday, with the BJP accusing the `Mahagathbandhan’ government of failing to check communal disturbances in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns, and the ruling coalition turning the blame onto the saffron party.

(With agency inputs)

First uploaded on: 05-04-2023 at 12:09 IST

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