The Congress on Wednesday said it will not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah to campaign for Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, and will show them black flags for not doing anything to stop violence against the people of Bihar staying in Gujarat.
“We will show black flags to Modi and Shah if they come to Bihar, and won’t allow them to campaign in Bihar because of the atrocities against people of our state in Gujarat,” said Akhilesh Prasad Singh, chairman of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) campaign committee. “The BJP, which is ruling at the Centre as well as in the coastal state did nothing to stop it.”
Akhilesh was speaking at a media interaction called by BPCC president Madan Mohan Jha at the state party headquarters, Sadaquat Ashram, to say that the 131st birth anniversary of Sri Krishna Sinha, Bihar’s first chief minister after Independence, will be observed on October 21.
Amit Shah Agencies
Several senior Congress leaders, including All India Congress Committee (AICC) Bihar in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil and secretaries Rajesh Lilothia and Virender Singh Rathore, former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar, former Union minister and AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad, state legislature party leader Sadanand Singh will attend the function. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, HAMS leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and others who are members of the Grand Alliance are expected to participate.
However, Gujarat MLA and AICC Bihar secretary Alpesh Thakor, who purportedly incited violence against the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of the rape of a 14-month-old child, allegedly by a migrant labourer, will not be present at the function at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna.
Incidentally, Alpesh has come to Bihar only once since his appointment as Bihar secretary.
“There is no confirmation of Alpesh coming to attend the birth anniversary of Sri Krishna Sinha,” Madan Mohan said, adding that he should not be victimised falsely on accusations from BJP leaders.
“Alpesh was the first one after the violence to demand probe into it and punishment for the people who indulged in attacks on the people of Bihar in Gujarat. The BJP leaders are heaping false allegations on him. Don’t declare him guilty without investigation. The BJP is ruling at the Centre and in Gujarat, hence it should have got the violence probed,” Madan Mohan said.
Akhilesh said: “The BPCC’s stand is clear. Anybody involved in atrocities on people of Bihar in Gujarat, even if he is from the Congress, should be hanged.”