lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Jan 12, 2019 21:50 IST

Former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Saturday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led central government, accusing it of weakening constitutional institutions as she cited how CBI director Alok Verma was removed from his post and eventually resigned from service.

“This is a time for introspection and people of the country should do it,” she said at the legislative council, where mortal remains of party member Khurshid Mohammed Mohsin was brought for tributes. Mohsin, a Rashtriya Janata Dal MLC elected last year, died at his residence in Patna on Friday.

Rabri Devi, who is leader of the opposition in the council, also accused the central government of being autocratic.

In the context of Bihar, she accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order, highlighting how a 16-year-old girl was found beheaded in Gaya recently. “Cases of rape and murder are on the rise in Bihar and the administration has failed to contain them. The Gaya incident has once again raised a question mark on the efficiency of the police administration. There should be a high level probe into the Gaya incident,” she said.

The former chief minister has been vocal against the Nitish Kumar government on the law and order front and had triggered angry reactions from the ruling Janata Dal (United) a few months back over her comments that ‘mahajungleraj’ was prevailing in Bihar.

Meanwhile, the RJD welcomed the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh.

“The BJP’s downfall has begun in UP and Bihar. RJD chief Lalu Prasad wanted the BSP and SP to come together and it has happened. The SP-BSP alliance is a formidable alliance and it will remain intact,” said former deputy chief minister and leader of opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

He also hoped the alliance in UP would not go the Bihar way, where the grand alliance comprising the RJD-Congress and JD(U) stitched before 2015 assembly polls witnessed a break-up when JD(U) realigned with the BJP to form government in July 2017.

On the other hand, state BJP president Nityanand Rai said the growing opposition unity in Bihar would have no impact on the electoral prospects of his party-led alliance and exuded confidence the NDA would win all the 40 parliamentary seats in the state. “People of Bihar are determined to vote for the NDA this time again and give PM Narendra Modi a second term in office,” Rai said.