Minorities need not fear BJP-led NDA government: Bihar Dy CM

Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and senior Janata Dal (United) leader Vijay Choudhary said on Saturday that people from minority communities in the state need not fear the new NDA government led by BJP leader Samrat Choudhary. He asserted that the Bihar government remains committed to its policy of “zero tolerance” towards communalism.

He said, “Just as all communities have remained safe and witnessed overall development during Nitish Kumar’s tenure, their security and dignity will continue to be ensured under the current government as well.”

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Addressing a press conference in Patna, he alleged that the opposition is attempting to mislead minority communities by instilling fear in the name of the BJP. However, he reiterated that the government continues to stand firmly by its “zero tolerance” stance on communalism.

Choudhary said, “Even though the Chief Minister in Bihar has changed, the government will function for the next five years in line with Nitish Kumar’s policies and vision. Bihar’s new Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary, has also stated in the Legislative Assembly that his government will not compromise on ‘crime, corruption, and communalism’.”

The Deputy Chief Minister said that the NDA government has taken concrete and effective steps for the upliftment of minority communities, on par with other sections of society in the state.

“Through various schemes, education, economic empowerment, and social security have been ensured, directly benefiting people in these communities,” he said.

Taking a dig at Lalu-Yadav-Rabri Devi’s 15-year rule in Bihar, Choudhary said that before 2005, minorities were subjected to emotional exploitation for political gain, with little effort made towards their actual development.

He further alleged that the opposition has consistently spread misinformation to create an atmosphere of fear. Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he said confusion was spread that citizenship would be taken away, which did not happen. Similarly, he said, baseless claims were made regarding Waqf properties, which proved to be false.

He asked the opposition to clarify how many people’s citizenship was affected under the CAA and how many eligible individuals were removed from lists in the SIR.