Maintaining law and order is state govt's responsibilty: Chirag Paswan on rising crime in Bihar

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday came down heavily on the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, holding it responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Referring to the recent daylight murder inside Paras Hospital in Patna where five goons entered and shot dead another criminal undergoing treatment at the private medical facility, Paswan said the incident reflects the audacity of criminals and the inefficiency of the government.

While addressing the issue, Paswan clarified that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state under India’s federal structure.

“When the Prime Minister brings development schemes, his priorities are clear. He is working with a vision to make Bihar a developed state. As far as the issue of law and order is concerned, everyone knows that under the federal structure, it entirely falls under the jurisdiction of the state governments. In such a scenario, it is not fair to blame the Prime Minister, but yes, it is certainly a matter of concern for all of us,” he said.

Earlier Paswan took to the social media platform X and wrote, “Murders are happening every day. The morale of criminals is sky-high. The strategy of the police and administration is beyond comprehension. The attack inside Paras Hospital in Patna's residential neighbourhood proves that criminals are openly challenging the law and administration.”

Paswan also responded to the Opposition’s recent allegations of voter list tampering in Bihar. He dismissed the claims as baseless and premature.

“First of all, claims are being made about tampering with the voter list. But how can there be tampering when the process itself isn’t over yet? Has the work on the voter list been completed? The Opposition is simply spreading misinformation,” he said.

He strongly defended the Election Commission, asserting that it is conducting the process with integrity.

“The Election Commission is working with complete transparency. If that weren’t the case we, too, would have raised questions. At the very least, my party and I certainly would have. You all know that I and my party never hesitate to speak out against injustice, no matter where it occurs, even if it's within our own government,” he added.

--IANS

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