Saran tension on wane, Bihar minister says not aware of violence

PAT, Aug 9: Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary shocked a delegation of a citizen forum for commul harmony and peace on Tuesday by saying he was not aware of commul tension in the state’s Saran district. After four days of violence and tension, the situation in Saran appeared to be quieter and returning to normalcy on Tuesday with any gathering of five or more persons banned under Section 144 of the CrPC and internet services suspended in the district. Choudhary, who is also the president of Bihar Congress unit, was interacting with the delegation at Sadaqat Ashram, the state Congress headquarters, here.

The news of commul tension in Bihar’s Saran district has hit the headlines since last week. “It was unbelievable for us when Choudhary asked us exactly what happened there and when. His expression was such that he was not aware of the commul tension in Saran,” Parveen Madhup, a member of the delegation, said.

Madhup said instead of providing us more information, Choudhary behaved as if he was ignorant about the commul tension in the district. “It has exposed how serious he is about commul harmony,” Madhup added. Sarfaraz Ahmad, another delegation member, said: “Being state Congress president and a minister, Choudhary should have given us details of the commul tension in Saran.” “We never expected this. His ignorance of the entire issue disappointed us,” Sarfaraz said. Last year, the Congress joined hands with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Jata Dal-United and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Jata Dal to defeat the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar assembly polls. The grand alliance of the JD-U, RJD and the Congress successfully fought and won polls to defeat commul forces in Bihar. (IANS)