Patna: Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday alleged in the legislature what he has been alleging on Twitter: That the Nitish Kumar government is shielding those involved in the rape of minor girls at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur.
The RJD leader accused the chief minister and the deputy chief minister of having close relations with the founder of the Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, the NGO that runs the shelter home.
"The main accused and owner of NGO who runs the shelter home wherein 40 (sic) minor girls were repeatedly raped was awarded as member of press accreditation committee by the IPR (information & public relations) department held by CM Nitish Kumar," Tejashwi told journalists on the Assembly premises. "He must tell who is protecting the culprit. The influential owner of the NGO, the main accused, runs a newspaper that is circulated in the Bihar Assembly as well."
Tejashwi claimed that the NGO proprietor is a blue-eyed boy of Nitish and Sushil Modi.
"Since March, Bihar government was aware about repeated rapes committed against 40 minor inmates of Muzaffarpur shelter home by politicians, officials for years. Many had forced abortions. No action has been taken but the cover-up is happening on war footing. It seems the nation has abandoned its girls. These exploited girls were used as commodity by people with power, position, clout and political connections," Tejashwi alleged. "What is more appalling is that Muzaffarpur is not the only such case in Bihar. Exploitation has been reported from other orphanages, shelter and remand homes in Motihari, Siwan and Hajipur. Even more appalling is the conduct of the media maintaining a deafening silence over this grave issue."
He said the victims are powerless and poor girls and they can't force the state, law enforcing agencies or " Antaraatma Babu" (Mr Conscience, read Nitish) to take note and act.
"They (the victims) can't gift media with government advertisement nor provide them with spicy sensationalism. Mainstream media is dead and silent on gruesome act of repeated rapes in a shelter home because the patron of the NGO is relative of a top officer of a leading media house. Because the patron has close proximity with chief minister Nitish Kumar and his government," Tejashwi alleged.
Reacting to the RJD's allegations, senior BJP leader and health minister Mangal Pandey said: "The government will not spare anyone and action would be taken against all those who are involved in the Muzaffarpur incident.
"It is our government that has exposed this racket."
