In a lively session of the Bihar legislative council, tensions flared after RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui’s contentious comments regarding the RSS. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary responded with alarming statistics, revealing a troubling increase in crime rates since 2004.
Patna: An uproar erupted in the Bihar legislative council over law and order after senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui’s remarks on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) triggered protests from the BJP.The situation escalated to the extent that the Chairman ordered Siddiqui’s remarks to be expunged from the proceedings.Responding to Siddiqui during the debate, deputy chief minister and home minister Samrat Choudhary presented crime data. He said 20,468 kidnapping cases were registered, of which only 158 involved murder or ransom, while 14,062 were linked to marriage or elopement. However, cognisable crimes registered in 2024 increased compared to 2004.
He said 115,216 cases were recorded in 2004, rising to 3.52 lakh in 2024.Providing a breakdown, Choudhary said theft cases rose from 11,518 in 2004 to 22,760 in 2024, while other categories also showed an upward trend.Responding to the figures, Siddiqui said the data was an eye-opener for those referring to the eras of “jungle raj” and “mangal raj”. He said the figures suggested the “jungle raj was better than mangal raj”.
Siddiqui added that the minister was replying in line with what the RSS was explaining. Ruling party member Santosh Kumar Singh objected strongly, saying that mentioning the RSS in the House was inappropriate and the remark should be removed. The Chairman upheld the objection and expunged the comment.
