Union minister Upendra Kushwaha slams Nitish govt over party leader's killing

Nitish Kumar

A day after a local leader of his party was gunned down in Bihar's Vaishali district, Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha today slammed the Nitish Kumar government asking how many murders would it take to wake the state administration out of its slumber.

Kushwaha, chief of the BJP's ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), visited the deceased leader Manish Sahni's home at Belari village today and consoled the bereaved family. Sahni, Vaishali district president of RLSP's extremely backward castes cell and head of Jandahan block panchayat samiti, was gunned down by unidentified assailants yesterday when he was coming out of his chamber at Jandaha block office, according to officials.

"Mukhyamantri Sri @NitishKumar ji, kitni lashon ke baad hosh me aayega Shashan? (Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji, after how many murders, the government would come out of its slumber)," Kushwaha said in a tweet. The minister also said the incident was like cocking a snook at the police administration. "The incident is a challenge as the personnel at the police station must have heard gunshots fired by the criminals who dared to open fire right in front of the SHO," Kushwaha told news channels after meeting Sahni's family members.

"I don't know what is the administration doing. It seems they (administration) would take note of it when criminals would fire right in front of the DIG, IG and DGP (Lagta hai ki ab DIG, IG aur DGP ke seene pe chadh ke apradhi goli chalayenge to sunenge)," said Kushwaha, who is union minister of state for HRD.

The The hard hitting comment of Kushwaha on his own NDA ministry in the state is significant. In another tweet targeting the chief minister, the RLSP chief asked, "Did thousands of youths like us sacrificed our 12 years of life under your (Nitish's) leadership during Samata Party days to witness such a situation?"

Kushwaha, an old-time associate of Kumar since Samata party days, separated from him just before the 2014 general elections and launched his own party RLSP and became a constituent of the NDA. It won three Lok Sabha seats, including Karakat by Kushwaha himself, in the last parliamentary poll.

RLSP's youth wing has decided to hold a candle march in the state capital to protest against the incident, Yuva Lok Samata's state chief Abhishek Jha said. Reports from Jandaha, where the incident took place, suggested that tension prevailed in the area, though situation was under control, and additional police force has been deployed to maintain peace.

Also Read: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Says, 'One Nation, One Poll' A Good Idea But Not Implementable At Present

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