Patna, May 30 (IANS) In the aftermath of the Gopalganj triple murder case in Bihar, the Opposition ‘Grand Alliance’ is now riddled with differences and open to mud-slinging.
The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has taken to the streets, demanding arrest of the main accused, JD(U) MLA Amarendra Pandey alias Pappu Pandey, in the Gopalganj triple murder case. On the other hand, Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) has questioned the RJD for giving the case a political colour while the Congress has been targeting the ruling BJP-JD(U) government over the issue.
Tejashwi Yadav, leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, with several RJD MLAs, left for Gopalganj on Friday, but was stopped by the police. After a high-voltage drama lasting nearly four hours outside former chief minister Rabri Devi’s residence, Tejashwi Yadav met Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, demanding a special session on the rising incidents of crime in the state.
Tejashwi said, “Had the government deployed the same number of policemen as it did to prevent RJD MLAs from going to Gopalganj, the accused MLA would have been by now arrested.”
HAM chief and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is part of the opposition ‘Grand Alliance’, questioned Tejashwi Yadav’s decision for making the incident a political issue.
Manjhi said it is not just one incident, but there are several incidents in the state which should be highlighted. He said it’s true that there has been an increase in incidents of crime in the state, but it is not correct to make only one incident a political issue.
When asked if it is an issue of caste, Manjhi said, “We are not talking about casteism. We want all the incidents to be made issue, not just one incident.”
Former Youth Congress president Lallan Kumar has demanded the revocation of assembly membership of JDU’s ‘strongman’ MLA Pappu Pandey and his immediate arrest.
Lallan said, “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar never stops talking about good governance, but his party is full of strongmen and feudal-minded criminals. They are taking the cover of the lockdown to indulge in criminal activities.”
He alleged that the ‘Pandey gang’ has created a terror in the whole of Gopalganj.
Lallan alleged that it requires the intervention of the DIG level officer to arrest the two accused. It clearly proves there is a nexus between criminals and the police in
Gopalganj district, due to which crime thrives, he said.
He also alleged that there are many leaders in the BJP-JDU alliance who have criminal background.
Meanwhile, the president of the Vanchit Samaj Party, Ratan Mandal, has demanded an all-party meet to discuss the Gopalganj triple murder case.
Last Sunday, some criminals opened fire at J.P. Chaudhary’s house in Gopalganj and killed his mother, father and brother. Police have arrested Satish Pandey, elder brother of the accused MLA Pappu Pandey, and his son Mukesh Pandey but the accused MLA is still evading arrest.
–IANS
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