Patna, March 7 Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, on Saturday, dismissed the claims made by Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, an Independent Member of Parliament from Bihar's Purnea seat, regarding the alleged creation of a new Union Territory by merging districts of Bihar and West Bengal.
Responding to a social media post by Pappu Yadav, MoS Rai said the Central government has no plan to create a Union Territory by merging districts from the two states.
He termed the claim completely baseless and accused the Purnea MP of spreading rumours to mislead people.
"There is no truth in such claims. The statements made by Pappu Yadav are completely devoid of facts," MoS Rai said, urging the public not to pay attention to such rumours.
Earlier on Friday, Pappu Yadav posted on social media platform X, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was planning to impose President's Rule in West Bengal and create a new Union Territory.
According to the Purnea MP's claim, the proposed Union Territory would include the Seemanchal region of Bihar along with districts from West Bengal, such as Malda, Murshidabad, Raiganj, and Uttar Dinajpur.
Pappu Yadav also alleged that this was the political conspiracy behind removing Nitish Kumar from the Chief Minister's post in Bihar and appointing Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired), a person with a military background, as the state's Governor.
MoS Nityanand Rai rejected the allegation outright and said that Pappu Yadav's statements should not be taken seriously.
He added that such claims have no credibility and are meant only to create confusion among the public.
After MoS Rai's clarification, Pappu Yadav posted again on his official X account on Saturday, saying the political developments still raise questions.
"There's no smoke without fire," the Purnea MP wrote, referring to the recent political developments in the region.
He also questioned the appointment of Governors in Bihar and West Bengal and said that if such a Union Territory plan were ever implemented, it would be strongly opposed.
According to Pappu Yadav, an economic blockade would be considered if such a decision was made.
The heated exchange has added a fresh dimension to the already intense political atmosphere in Bihar and the neighbouring West Bengal.
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