Their absence could be attributed to PM Modi’s Sankalp rally in Patna the same day. CM Kumar had gone to welcome the PM at the airport
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came under sharp attack from the Opposition after none of the leaders from the BJP or the JD(U) were present to receive the mortal remains of CRPF Inspector Pintu Singh, who was martyred in the Kupwara encounter on March 1.
The mortal remains of Singh, draped in the Tricolour, had arrived at Patna airport at 8:30 am on March 3, NDTV has reported. Even though government protocol was followed, the CRPF inspector’s family was deeply hurt and complained that no minister of the state government was present to receive the body and pay their last respects.
His uncle Sanjay Kumar Singh, in a video message, said, “Pintu has not received the honour he deserved from the state government. No NDA leader came to the airport.”
“It’s very unfortunate that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not bother to come to pay his last respect,” he added.
The absence of ministers could be attributed to PM Modi’s Sankalp rally in Patna the same day. NDTV has reported that CM Kumar, accompanied by many colleagues, had gone to welcome the PM at the airport, three hours after the mortal remains of the martyred jawan arrived.
Owning up to the party’s mistake, Janata Dal (United) vice-president Prashant Kishor apologized for not being there at the airport. He tweeted:We are sorry for the error of judgement on part of those of us who should have been there with you in this hour of grief. pic.twitter.com/DIhpiKlyd6
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) March 3, 2019
Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly and RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, slammed the ruling BJP-JD(U) government on the issue, saying, "Prime Minister Modi and CM Nitish Kumar have deliberately insulted a martyr. On the one hand, the mortal remains of the soldier were lying, and on the other, they were making fake claims of being patriotic, trying to garner votes at the expense of martyrs." He tweeted:
प्रधानमंत्री मोदी जी और मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार ने आज शहीद का जानबुझकर अपमान किया है। पटना में एकतरफ़ चंद क़दम दूर तिरंगे में लिपटा शहीद का पार्थिव शरीर रखा था और दूसरी तरफ़ फूलों से सजे राजनीतिक मंच पर ये फ़र्ज़ी देशभक्त ठहाके लगा शहीदों के नाम पर वोटों की खेती कर रहे थे। https://t.co/fHxsZhCYmm
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 3, 2019
Patna’s District Magistrate and SSP were present at the airport to receive the body. State Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha and Lok Janshakti Party parliamentarian Choudhary Mahboob Ali Kaiser also paid their last respects at the airport.
CRPF inspector Pintu Singh, a resident of Dhanchakki village in Begusarai, 130 km from state capital Patna, was among the four security personnel who lost their lives in an encounter in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir on March 1.
