Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s claim that the state may have ‘crime’ but no ‘apraadh’ has triggered a political row, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav taking a swipe at the BJP leader and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to appoint him as Chief Minister.
Choudhary made the remark at an event organised by the state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Delhi on Tuesday, leaving many wondering what he meant by drawing a distinction between the words ‘crime’ and ‘apraadh’.
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“Hamare yahan koi apraadh nahi hai. Apraadh ka concept hi khatam ho chuka hai. Crime ho sakte hain, lekin apraadh nahi, koi apraadhi nahi hai (There is no crime here in Bihar. The very concept of crime has been eliminated. There may be a crime, but there is no ‘apraadh’ (offence). There are no criminals),” the Chief Minister said.
The comment drew a sharp response from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), with its working president Tejashwi Yadav questioning whether Modi had given Choudhary a ‘supaari’ (contract) to ruin Bihar.
Yadav, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, shared a video clip of Choudhary’s remarks on X and took a dig at the Chief Minister over his alleged criminal antecedents.
“In Bihar, ‘Crime’ might be ‘crime’, but not ‘apraadh’!” Yadav wrote in his post.
He went on to claim that Choudhary was a “sample accused in seven murders” and questioned whether IAS and IPS officers present on the stage felt honoured or humiliated to work with him.
“Has Shri Narendra Modi ji taken a contract to let this man ruin Bihar?” Yadav asked.
In his post, the RJD leader referred to a case registered against Choudhary in the 1990s, which was related to the alleged murder of seven people.
Choudhary, who began his political career with the RJD, has maintained that he was falsely implicated in the case registered in his home district of Munger.
He is the first BJP leader to head the government in Bihar and also holds the Home portfolio.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, when asked about Choudhary’s remarks, declined to get drawn into the political controversy but backed the Chief Minister’s approach to crime control.
Paswan said Choudhary, being both the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, would have facts and figures to support his claim.
“I believe that being the CM as well as the HM, he must have facts and figures to back his claim. As a Bihari, I would like to see the state become crime-free and emerge as a fertile destination for investors,” he said.
Paswan heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The exchange comes amid a political debate over law and order in Bihar, with the Chief Minister’s remarks drawing criticism from the RJD and a measured response from an ally in the state government.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
