Patna, Feb 12 A major uproar erupted in the Bihar Legislative Council on the issue of law and order after RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui's remarks referencing the RSS drew strong objections from ruling party members, after which the Chairman ordered for expunging the comments.
Raising concerns over the law and order situation in the state, Siddiqui triggered a detailed response from Home Minister Samrat Choudhary, who placed crime statistics on record.
The Minister stated that cognisable crime cases have increased significantly over the years, rising from 1,15,216 cases in 2004 to nearly 3.52 lakh cases in 2024.
Providing a crime-wise breakdown, Choudhary said theft cases increased from 11,518 in 2004 to 22,760 in 2024, while other categories of crime also showed an upward trend.
Addressing the issue of abductions, he said that 20,468 kidnapping cases were registered, out of which only 158 cases involved murder or ransom, while 14,062 cases were linked to marriage or elopement.
Responding to the data, Abdul Bari Siddiqui said the figures were an eye-opener for those who often refer to the eras of "jungle raj" and "mangal raj".
"If 1,15,216 cases in 2004 to nearly 3.52 lakh cases in 2024, the data indicates that the 'jungle raj was better than mangal raj'," Siddiqui said.
He also added that the mathematics of RSS is such that 3.52 lakh cases are smaller than 1,15,216 cases.
"I am not blaming the leaders of the BJP, but it was the RSS which taught them such mathematics," Siddiqui said.
He further remarked that the state Home Minister appeared to be responding to explanations being given by the RSS.
This comment immediately drew objections from ruling party member Santosh Kumar Singh, who termed the reference to the RSS as inappropriate for the House and demanded its removal from the record.
Accepting the objection, the Chairman ordered the remark to be expunged, bringing the heated exchange to a close.
The incident added to the already tense atmosphere in the Council amid ongoing debates over crime and governance in Bihar.
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