Nitish sees a conspiracy, writes to PM

Nitish Kumar says the whole exercise of making photo identity cards compulsory appears to be one such sinister design to target the people of Bihari origin, reports Vijay Swaroop.

The order of the Delhi Government by which carrying photo identity cards will become compulsory for every Delhiite from January 15 and its decision of not entertaining driving licences issued by other states unless they are validated by the local police, have kicked up a storm.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling the above measures “direct interference in personal liberties.”

In a four-page letter to the prime minister, Kumar wrote, “There is a growing tendency among high-ups in Delhi to ridicule Biharis. The whole exercise appears to be one such sinister design to target the people of Bihari origin.” Kumar made it clear that nobody can claim jurisdiction over Delhi. “The national capital is the confluence of many regions and cultures. The contribution of people of Bihar towards the development of Delhi cannot be ignored,” he said in his letter.

Kumar reminded Singh that the Constitution does not restrict movement of people across states in India. “Besides, the issue of identity cards and their checking raises serious concerns about human rights and personal liberties. In the name of security, we cannot play around with citizen’s liberty, their rights and the Constitution,” he said.

The chief minister also pointed out that a driving licence issued anywhere in India is valid for the entire country. “The idea of re-validating the licences in Delhi is obnoxious and will cause harassment.” he wrote.