Giriraj meets kin of riot-accused leaders

Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Sunday met the family members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal leaders arrested five days ago on charges of rioting during last year’s Ram Navmi festival.

Singh had met the two leaders — Bajrang Dal leader Jitendra Pratap alias Jituji and VHP leader Kailash Vishwakarma — in Nawada prison on Saturday.

“I am helpless in my own constituency (Nawada) and before my own people. The tears reflect my helplessness, as both the leaders have been falsely implicated in the case. The administration should have adopted a neutral stand,” he said breaking down after meeting the families of the two leaders on Sunday.

He later tore into the Nitish Kumar-led state government for “targeting the majority community in the name of maintaining communal harmony”.

Bihar Congress leader and Member of legislative council Premchandra Mishra said it was unfortunate that a Union minister was going to meet those accused of rioting.

“It is a sad commentary on governance in Bihar. After all, Nitish Kumar says he cannot compromise on communalism, but here his own alliance partner is accusing him ...” he added.

The meet comes close on the heels of another controversy for the party after Union minister Jayant Sinha met and garlanded multiple convicts in the Ramgarh lynching case after they got bail earlier this week.

ARUN KUMAR

PATNA: