Din in Bihar, BJP backs Sena

The recent attacks on Biharis in Mumbai has an echo in Bihar legislature during the joint address of two houses, reports Anirban Guha Roy.

The recent attacks on Biharis in Mumbai had an echo in Bihar legislature during the joint address of two houses by Governor RS Gavai on Friday. Opposition members created noisy scenes slamming the state government for failing to ensure safety of Biharis.

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Opposition members also demanded the arrest of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his nephew Raj Thackeray, chief of MNS. During the Governor's speech on the NDA government's achievements, slogans like "Goli bandook ki sarkar nahin chalegi, Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackarey ko arrest karo" rent the air.

Gavai told mediapersons, "We are all Indians. I have turned a Bihari ever since coming here as Governor," he said.

In New Delhi, the BJP backed Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's view that the official language of Mumbai Municipal corporation should remain Marathi and blamed the Congress for playing "divisive politics". BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "The first chapter was the Raj Thackeray episode sponsored by the Congress and the second is the attempt to divide society."