Patna: The recent molestation of a minor girl in Jamui district of Bihar on Tuesday, September 22, drew flak from leaders of parties opposed to the ruling NDA like Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition, which underscored that the culprits were nabbed soon after the incident came to light, was defended by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners like Union ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” and Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom raked up the “jungle raj” that allegedly prevailed when the state was ruled by the RJD.
Priyanka questions the point of introducing women-centric schemes
Vadra, who was in her parliamentary constituency of Wayanad in Kerala, reacted to the incident in Bihar that took place last week but came to light only on Monday.
“It is horrible. Crimes against women are on the rise… what is the point in talking about big schemes and programmes if we cannot ensure the safety of our women while they are out in the streets,” asked the Congress leader.
Earlier, on Monday, September 21, her brother and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had come out with a strongly worded statement calling the incident “deeply disturbing” and demanding that all the accused be booked under the POCSO Act.
Tejaswi calls for Samrat Choudhary’s resignation
Yadav, who is the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, told a press conference: “Bihar has been shamed by the incident in Jamui. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary should resign, owning moral responsibility. The episode symbolises a collapse of law and order”.
He also came down heavily on NDA bigwigs like Shrawon Kumar, a minister and the JD(U)’s legislature party leader, and the party’s state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha for calling the incident ‘stray’, and alleged it smacked of “insensitivity”.
However, the RJD leader ended up being lambasted by Lalan and Manjhi, both of whom alleged that the security situation in the state was much worse while his party was in power.
Spine-chilling: JDU president
Lalan, who is a former JD(U) president, said in a video statement, “The incident in Jamui is spine-chilling. We all stand by the victim’s family. The Samrat Choudhary government will ensure that the culprits are brought to book”.
Without mentioning Yadav by name, he claimed that the leaders of Bihar’s opposition parties are politicising the issue.
“They would do well to recall the period before 2005, when our national president Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister. In those days, no girl or woman could muster the courage to step out of their homes after sunset,” he said.
Manjhi, who, incidentally, was a minister in the government of Yadav’s mother Rabri Devi, trained his guns at the young RJD leader, pointing out that most of the accused belonged to his caste.
“Let us give you the latest update on the Jamui incident. Tejashwi ji keeps saying that every Yadav in Bihar-UP is his brother. Now, some of these brothers harassed the girl and shot a video to defame our government”, alleged the Hindustani Awam Morcha president.
Manjhi, a former Bihar CM, also said that Yadav will now whine about his brothers getting beaten up.
“I shall warn him that he better restrain his brothers, else the Samrat Choudhary government, which stands for good governance, will get after them,” he said.
Incident pains me: BJP leader
The minor girl and a boy, who were said to be studying at the same coaching centre, were caught hold of by the group on a road and allegedly harassed. Video clips circulating on social media purportedly showed the girl being groped.
Two accused in the harassment of a boy and a girl in Bihar’s Jamui district were nabbed by police on Tuesday following an encounter in which both were injured, an official said. With this, the total number of people held in connection with the September 19 incident has reached five.
State minister and BJP leader Shreyasi Singh, who represents Jamui assembly seat, said, “The incident involving a place I am proud of pains me. But I do not wish to put the perpetrators into any category other than that of anti-social elements. I am glad that most of them have been arrested.”
Singh, 35, who was a professional shooter before entering politics, however, ended up ruffling many feathers by saying “if moral policing is required, it can be done decently”.
Congress says harassment example of BJP’s patriarchal mindset
The video clip was shared by the Congress on its social media handles as an “example of the BJP’s patriarchal mindset”.
Kishor found himself on the same page as Yadav in criticising the NDA government and deploring the “stray” remark, though he added that the RJD leader’s outbursts on law and order rang hollow because of the party’s dismal record on that account.
“The incident is appalling and scary. Such incidents have been on the rise since Samrat Choudhary, who himself has criminal antecedents, rose to the seat of power,” alleged the Jan Suraaj Party founder.
He also said the three minors nabbed by police could “end up going scot free like Choudhary, who was convicted in a murder case in the 1990s, but was let off based on a false age certificate that he produced before the court”.
Accused a disciple of Lalu Prasad: Politicians continue trading strikes
The former poll strategist, who has maintained equidistance from NDA and INDIA bloc, added: “When Tejashwi Yadav speaks of law and order, it sounds like a tiger expounding the virtues of vegetarianism. If the BJP and its allies have been able to rule Bihar for over 20 years, it is only because memories of the jungle raj still haunt its people”.
The BJP shared on its X handle a social media profile of the main accused in the case, calling him “a disciple of Lalu Prasad”, the RJD president.
However, Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya hit back, raking up alleged support extended by BJP leaders to the accused in rape cases like Kathua, Hathras and Bilkis Bano.
