Crimes like abduction for ransom had assumed status of industries during Lalu-Rabri rule in state, says a minister in Bihar

PATNA: Senior JD(U) leader and state’s building construction minister Ashok Choudhary on Wednesday said that serious crimes like abduction for ransom and extortion from small traders had assumed an status of industries across the state during the rule of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi.
Addressing his party’s assembly constituency-wise virtual sammelan of Raghunathpur (Siwan), Kudhani, Baikunthpur, Balrampur, Chhatapur and Jhajha constituencies, Choudhary further said that during the Lalu-Rabri rule, the cases of abduction for ransom had been occurring so frequent that many big traders and industrialists left Bihar and settled their business and industries in other state.
“But, when Nitish Kumar came into power in November 2005, he first of all took stringent actions against the criminals and established rule of law in the state,” Choudhary said while comparing the state’s law and order scenario during 15-year rule of Nitish Kumar (2005-2020) with the 15-year rule of Lalu-Rabri (1990-2005).
While addressing the virtual sammelan of Raghunathpur assembly constituency, he said just take the example of Siwan district. “During the Lalu-Rabri rule, Siwan had become a synonym for the ‘den of gang-lord’. There was a complete breakdown of law and order in the district in those days. Rule of terror was prevailing in the district till 2005. But when Nitish came into the power, he restored law and order in entire police stations of Siwan districts,” he said.
Choudhary also claimed that there is a whopping 77.24% decline in the cases of dacoity in Siwan district in 2020 compared to 2005.
Lauding his CM for providing electricity connection in 100% households in the state, Choudhary recalled that only 40% villages in Bihar had electricity connection before 2005. He said, when Nitish led the state government after the 2015 assembly election, he decided to provide electricity to all households under his ‘Har Ghar Bijli Lagataar’ programme under the seven resolves. The state government completed the task of providing electricity connection in 100% households by October 2018, Choudhary said.
The building construction minister also [pointed out that during the Lalu-Rabri rule, electricity was being supplied for hardly 2 to 4 hours in a day in rural areas, but now in the Nitish rule every village across the state is getting 22 to 23 hours electricity per day.