Patna, Oct. 5 (PTI): Former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi Friday demanded President's rule in Bihar over poor law and order situation and "open flouting" of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act under his rule.
Manjhi was interacting with the media here a day after meeting Governor Lalji Tandon to whom he urged to recommend imposition of President's rule claiming rising crime graph and open flouting of SC & ST Act in Bihar.
Manjhi, once a close associate of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who named him as his successor for a brief period in 2014, is siding with the RJD in the mahagathbandhan after walking out of the NDA.
"Around 10-20 incidents of murder and rape are taking place in Bihar everyday...Recently, a bank manager was killed in CM's home district Nalanda, a woman, who had observed fast on Jivitiya festival, was raped in Barh, a man (former mayor) was shot dead in Muzaffarpur by AK-47," Manjhi told reporters.
"I met Governor Lalji Tandon (yesterday) and apprised him of Bihar's deteriorating law and order situation which has reached to a dangerous level where every Act including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is being flouted openly in the state. I urged him (Governor) to recommend imposition of President's rule in the state," he said.
Coming down heavily on Kumar's recent utterances that no power in the world could end or alter the provisions of reservation for scheduled castes, Manjhi asked people not to get swayed over by JD (U)'s dalit-Mahadalit conference "through which it is spreading lies with the help of fake data".
Kumar had made the assertion while speaking at party's dalit-Mahadalit conference in the capital on October 3.
They (dalits) should beware of such elements who indulge in enticements and spreading lies besides aking them to get themselves prepared for 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 Assembly polls, he added.
Andhra Pradesh has given the facilities of residential schooling to its 7.5 lakh SC students, where Odisha has given the same facility to 2.5 lakh SC students whereas Bihar with a 2 crore population of SC has this provision for only 40,000 SC students, Manjhi said and sought increase in the number to 7-8 lakh.
More than 5,000 cases registered under SC & ST Act in Bihar is pending while the conviction rate is around three per cent which is lowest in the country, he added.
On Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi's recent statement making an appeal to criminals not to indulge in anti-social activities during Pitripaksh (ancestral worship) mela, Manjhi said that "Modi, the Dy. CM, is a "defacto CM" who made such statement which is being criticised across the country.
"The Dy CM's statement shows that he wants to convey the message to criminals that they are free to do whatever they want to do after the fortnight long Pirtipaksh fair," he said while adding that this shows the government's inefficiency in taming criminals and everything in Bihar is 'Bhagwan Bharose (at God's mercy)."
In reply to a query, he said that the representation of people belonging to SC and OBC category in the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts are negligible and suggested that earlier system where the government used to have a say be brought back in the appointment of judges.
