Abdul Bari Siddiqui

Patna, Feb. 2: Not all people’s representatives are happy over extra security cover. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui is one among them. He has decided against accepting the additional forces to ease the burden of the state exchequer and to mingle with public freely.

“This is a personal decision as I believe expenditure on public representatives should be minimum,” Siddiqui told The Telegraph today. He said he was opposed to the increase in the nu- mber of security to public representatives.

“As social activists, we have to mingle with people and go to places. Having securitymen around all the time is undesirable. It is like the army saying it will not go to war because its men get killed,” he said.

Siddiqui said chief minister Nitish Kumar should have held consultations with other political parties before announcing an increase in security for ministers and legislators. “The chief minister always keeps saying ‘Bihar is a poor state’ and should be given special status. The people’s representatives themselves must learn to live in austerity,” he said.

He pointed out there were several police stations in Naxalite-hit areas that have fewer policemen than what has been proposed for a minister — 18.

Siddiqui said the decision would incur heavy expenses as 30 to 40 vehicles would be purchased to transport the security guards with the ministers.

“The state government should also have made a reference to security provided to ministers and legislators in other states of the country. They do this exercise only when it comes to increasing facilities,” he said.

Siddiqui said the increase of security guards to legislators and ministers has been triggered by the murder of BJP MLA Rajkishore Keshari.

“At the time of the murder, the guard of the MLA was present. The state government should have examined why the government security guard failed to save the MLA’s life. Instead, to conceal its failure, it decided to increase the number of policemen for MLAs and ministers. Will it keep increasing the number of security men each time such an incident takes place?” he asked.

In fact, it is not only the ministers and Opposition leaders who have reservations against the increased police force. Even ruling party MLAs said more bodyguards would be a liability.