The competition in Bihar’s rival political parties to augment their support base among the state’s Muslims became sharper on Monday with both sides vehemently protesting against the increasing arrests of Muslims from Bihar on terror charges.
The ruling JD(U) and main Opposition party RJD’s anxieties over the hurt sentiments of Bihar’s electorally crucial Muslim community and the possible effects they could have in the coming elections came out clearer in a street demonstration organised by senior RJD leaders and chief minister Nitish Kumar’s statements.
Mr Kumar strongly criticised the increasing number of arrests of Muslims from Bihar by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Delhi police without informing the state authorities and said he would raise this issue at the conference of chief ministers on NCTC in New Delhi.
“I have earlier written to the Centre about it. Such arrests without informing the state could create law and order problems,” said Mr Kumar. He objected to use of words such as “Darbhanga module of terrorism, Madhubani module and Bihar module”.
Senior RJD leaders like Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ghulam Ghous, state unit president Ramchandra Purve and MP Ram Kripal Yadav participated in a public demonstration at Patna’s crowded Kargil Chowk to protest against the arrest of over a dozen Muslims from Bihar on terror charges in the past four months. Describing the CM’s statements about the state government being kept in dark before the arrests as “highly irresponsible,” Mr Ghous asked him to ensure that such arrests and the increasing use of terms like the “Bihar module of terror” should stop.
“In the RJD’s 15 years of rule in Bihar not a single Muslim was arrested in Bihar on terror charges,” said Mr Ghous.