'Saddened To Support A Regime Failing To Curb Crime': Chirag Paswan Slams Nitish Kumar Govt Ahead Of Bihar 2025 Polls (Video)

Patna: Ahead of Bihar assembly polls, LJP (RV) chief and union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday made one of the sharpest attacks on Nitish government by contending that he was saddened to support a regime that was unable to check unbridled crimes, which were playing with the lives of state`s people.

Chirag`s remark  comes two days after he heaped praise on a hard critic of chief minister Nitish Kumar, and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant  Kishor for playing an ‘honest’ role in Bihar politics. 

Talking to newspersons, Chirag said, "There has been a series of criminal incidents in Bihar as the administration has seemingly bowed before criminals. Incidents of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape are continuously happening in Bihar,” he remarked. He alleged that the people of Bihar were no longer feeling safe and asked why criminal activities were not getting checked.

“It is both condmendable and shameful. Action has been taken against criminals and arrests have been made but why are such criminal incidents not decreasing?," he asked. 

The LJP (RV) leader said that criminal incidents might be taking place to defame the government before the election but still the administration had the responsibility to check crimes. Either there is administration`s complicity, or administration is trying to hush up cases, or administration has become completely incapable, he asserted.  

Chirag`s party has no MLA in the 243-member Bihar assembly, and so his support to Nitish government is not needed for its survival. In the 2020 Bihar assembly election, LJP had won only one out of 135 seats it contested. The lone party MLA, Raj Kumar Singh, from Matihani joined JD (U) later. Chirag had damaged the prospects of JD (U) on around 28 seats by fielding his party candidates against JD (U) nominees last time. LJP candidates had forfeited their deposits in 110 constituencies.

Retorting sharply to Chirag`s continuous attack on Nitish government, JD (U) leader Neeraj Kumar, said, 'Ati Sarvatra Varjayet' (Excess of everything is bad). 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and union home minister Amit Shah Ji have faith in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Ji. That same faith is held by the people of Bihar even today."

"The mind may waver, there is no remedy for that. But there is no doubt about the rule of law. People are confident," he remarked, while indirectly alleging that Chirag might be physically with NDA but his mind was somewhere else. 

Union minister and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, commented, “I am glad that I am supporting a government in Bihar that does not compromise with crime and criminals. It not only solves every criminal incident but also sends criminals involved in those incidents behind bars. We are proud that there is a government of good governance in Bihar under the NDA leadership.”

"Chirag Ji's political career is very short. His father had a long political career and has seen what was happening in Bihar for 40-45 years... Chirag Paswan is unaware of this, which is why he is speaking like this, as he hasn't seen it," remarked Manjhi, also a former Bihar chief minister. Both Manjhi and Chirag Paswan are Dalit leaders.