Bihar’s ruling parties hit out at BJP over Telangana leader’s anti-Bihar comments

BJP leader Raghunandan Rao on Thursday said chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was trying to establish Bihar’s gunda raj in Telangana

Ruling Janata Dal (United) or JD (U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have hit out at Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raghunandan Rao’s comments on Thursday that K Chandrashekhar Rao, the chief minister of the southern state, was “trying to establish “Bihar’s gunda raj”.

BJP leader Raghunandan Rao. (Twitter)

Raghunandan Rao claimed the chief minister does not trust his own and has posted Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from Bihar to control Telangana Police. “Bihar IPS officers have all the key positions. This is not what Telangana was formed for. This is an attack on Telangana’s self-respect.” He accused the chief minister of discriminating against Telangana officials.

Anjani Kumar, who is from Bihar’s Arwal, was last month named the Telangana Police chief.

JD (U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said the comments show BJP’s attitude towards Bihar. “If Bihar BJP leaders have courage, they should demand action against their party leader in Telangana. This statement is an attack on Bihar’s self-respect.”

RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav accused the BJP of trying to fan regionalism for political gains and called it dangerous. “This is how BJP operates. They are always divisive.”

BJP leader Nawal Kishore Yadav said the Telangana leader’s comments did not represent the party’s view. “In Bihar also, officials from different states work as they are from the all-India service. It is not an issue related to any state. Such remarks should not be made. In Bihar, we never make such statements.”

Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary called the anti-Bihar remarks a slap on the face of the BJP. “He may have spoken like this to suit his politics, but he should know that all-India service officers are not posted on the basis of their native place, but cadre. This reflects the anti-Bihar mindset in the BJP. Bihar officials are serving across the country, not just Telangana.”