Cracks widened within Bihar’s ruling NDA on Saturday as Union minister Chirag Paswan voiced strong displeasure at having to back a government he accused of "surrendering before criminals", launching a frontal attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s administration over deteriorating law and order.
Speaking at a rally in Gaya after a reported gang-rape incident shook the region, Paswan did not mince words when confronted by journalists. “The incident is deplorable. The accused may have been caught, but the fact remains that the administration is unable to prevent such crimes from occurring. It appears that the police have surrendered (natmastak) before criminals,” he said.
“I regret (afsos hota hai) having to support a government which is unable to prevent such crimes. We should think of the trauma the victims of such incidents have to undergo. The situation has, indeed, become scary,” Paswan added, speaking with rare bluntness for a ruling coalition leader.
Although his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) holds no seat in the state legislature, the Hajipur MP’s remarks triggered swift rebuttals from the Janata Dal (United), which accused Paswan of hypocrisy and asked him to clean his own house first.
JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, “Those too concerned about law and order in the state would do well to first ensure that they do not induct people with criminal antecedents in their party.”
Paswan, who famously damaged JD(U)’s electoral prospects in 2020 by fielding parallel candidates, escalated his attack while addressing the rally. “Crime was unacceptable in the 1990s, when the state was under RJD’s rule, and it should be unacceptable even now,” he said.
Reaffirming his long-standing slogan, he declared, “I promise you that crime will be struck at the very roots and criminals will be behind bars after the assembly polls, with a new government in place which will work on my motto of Bihar First, Bihari First.”
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The younger Paswan exhorted his supporters to spread across the state with the zeal of a direct candidate. “All my supporters must fan out across the state and work with an intensity that should give the impression that it is Chirag Paswan himself who is contesting elections everywhere,” he told the gathering.
Though sharper criticism was directed at the RJD, the main opposition, Paswan’s jibes at the government he supports created a stir. He reiterated the need to reject "divisive politics" and took a swipe at the RJD’s caste-based voter base. “The RJD takes pride in its MY (Muslim-Yadav) support base. We, too, have our own MY combine, which denotes 'mahila' (women), who comprise half of the total population, and 'yuva' (the youth) to whom the future belongs,” he said.
He further revisited his falling out with estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, though refraining from taking his name. He repeated an explosive allegation made earlier, claiming, “There was a conspiracy to blow me up with a bomb.”
The JD(U), already wary of Paswan’s growing popularity among the youth and his past role in damaging its seat tally, remained firm in defending the government. “The government is committed to the rule of law,” asserted Prasad.
Paswan, who has made it known that he will contest the upcoming Assembly elections himself, dismissed suggestions of aspiring to the Chief Minister’s chair for now. However, his rhetoric and positioning seem to suggest a larger role on Bihar’s political stage is very much on his mind.
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