JOIN USThree days ahead of the visit of Narendra Modi’s trusted associate Amit Shah, the ruling party as well as the Opposition in the state have cautioned the Nitish regime to keep a tight vigil on the movements and activities of the controversial leader during his stay in Patna.
Shah is expected to reach the state capital on September 21 to attend the birth anniversary of former Bihar chief minister Bhola Paswan Shastri.
The former Gujarat minister, who has been specifically deployed by Modi, will also take stock of the preparedness for BJP’s rally slated for next month in Patna.
The BJP’s prime-ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is expected to begin his Bihar sojourn through a “Hunkar rally”, which is scheduled for October 27 at the historic Gandhi Maidan.
“Amit Shah is a controversial leader. After he was made in charge of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state has witnessed one of the worst communal riots in Muzaffarnagar.
We are apprehensive about his visit as we don’t want a repeat of Uttar Pradesh in Bihar. The Nitish government should keep a hawkish eye on his movements and activities,” said state president of the Janata Dal-United, Vashishtha Narain Singh.
“The late chief minister Bhola Paswan Shastri was a Congress leader. Why is it then that someone like Amit Shah is keen to pay respect to Shastri?” wondered RJD general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Kripal Yadav.
He added, “Apparently, the only aim of the BJP and the RSS is to fan communal tension in Bihar ahead of the festive season which will see both Dussehra and Bakrid during the same period,” and asked the Bihar government to “keep a tight leash on such divisive elements.”