Patna, Sep 19 (IANS): Bihar Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday criticised Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for his remarks on the Nawada incident while accusing him and his son, Santosh Kumar Suman, of being aligned with the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“Jitan Ram Manjhi is influenced by the RSS and BJP. He is making statements which align with their agenda rather than focusing on facts. Manjhi and his son are alumni of schools run by RSS,” the LoP said.
Earlier, the Union Minister said people from the Yadav community instigated members of the Paswan community to torch more than 25 houses in Mahadalit Tola in Nawada district on Wednesday evening.
the Union Minister said that the district police arrested 12 individuals from the Yadav caste, who had targeted the Mahadalit community.
“The Yadavs, eyeing this land, manipulated Paswan community members into acting against the Mahadalits, aiming to displace them from the land they had been living on for years,” the Union Minister claimed.
Tejashwi Yadav questions why Manjhi, as a Union minister and a part of the ruling NDA both at the Centre and in Bihar, has not taken more concrete action regarding the accident.
“Was Manjhi engaged directly with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar or presented a memorandum about the incident,” he asked.
He also pointed out that Manjhi has the power and access to demand action but has instead he is making inflammatory statements without proper information.
Tejashwi Yadav also condemned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for its failure in handling the Nawada incident, calling it ‘extremely painful’.
He stressed that those responsible for the crime must face legal action and urged the state government to take swift and decisive action against the culprits.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the national president of the RJD, also targeted Nitish Kumar, accusing him of failing to control crime and maintain law and order in Bihar.
He said that the Nawada incident highlights the government's inability to prevent violence and unrest, reinforcing his long-standing critique that Nitish Kumar’s governance has been ineffective, especially in terms of security and justice for vulnerable communities.
Lalu Prasad Yadav also criticised Jitan Ram Manjhi for misleading the people over the Nawada incident.