Bihar assembly adjourned amid uproar over communal tension

The Bihar Assembly was adjourned till lunch break today within minutes of commencement of the proceedings, amid opposition uproar over recent increase in incidents of communal violence in some parts of the state.

As Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary took the Chair, RJD MLAs Samir Kumar Mahaseth and Shakti Singh Yadav moved their adjournment motions alleging that "atmosphere of communal harmony has been vitiated in the state and an organisation is trying to sow the seeds of hatred against members of a particular community.

When the Speaker asked the legislators to raise the matter at an appropriate time and allow the Question Hour to take place, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said, The issue being raised is very important."

"Yesterday, when I raised the issue of Aurangabad, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave a statement which left me both glad and dissatisfied. I was glad that he used the endearing word 'babu' (a patronising word) to address me, since I always look upon him as an avuncular figure. But I was dissatisfied with the way he tried to dismiss my concerns over the communal conflagration in Aurangabad," Tejashwi said.

His utterances evoked angry protests from ministers Prem Kumar and Vinod Narayan Jha both from the BJP. They accused the RJD of raising the matter everyday with politics in mind.

Many of the opposition MLAs then trooped into the Well waving copies of the Constitution and alleging it was under threat since Right to Equality and Freedom of Religion have been designated as fundamental rights.

As the bedlam persisted, Chaudhary adjourned the proceedings till 2 P.M.

Later, talking to reporters outside the assembly, Yadav said the ruling side did not allow me to complete my statement. I wished to pinpoint the anomalies in the statement given by the Chief Minister yesterday who had accused me of giving in to rumour-mongers.

I was permitted neither yesterday nor today to pose the counter-question. If my concerns of a communal flare-up in Aurangabad were based on rumours, why has the government dispatched a bunch of senior officials to the affected district. Why was the chief minister, admittedly, monitoring the situation in that town from his chamber," Tejashwi asked.

As we have said many times, Nitish Kumar has lost his grip over the administration in the state. The entire bureaucratic machinery has become subservient to the agenda of the BJP-RSS. Bihar is now being ruled, not from Patna, but from Nagpur (the RSS headquarters)," he alleged.

It was a pathetic sight yesterday when the Chief Minister stated on the floor of the House that there was no curfew in Aurangabad upon being prompted to do so by his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Yadav remarked.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Aurangabad where clashes had erupted between members of two communities on Sunday during a Ram Navami procession.

A week earlier, communal violence had erupted in Bhagalpur over playing of loud music during a religious procession which was being led by Arijit Shashwat, son of Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)