Patna, June 9 (IANS) The controversy surrounding the recent changes to the security arrangements of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi intensified on Tuesday, with Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav launching a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary upon his arrival in Patna from Delhi.

Tejashwi Yadav arrived at Patna airport along with his father, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti.

The leaders subsequently left for Rabri Devi’s residence without any security personnel accompanying them, a move that comes amid the ongoing political dispute over the reduction of security cover provided to members of the Yadav family.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Tejashwi accused the state government of raising non-issues to divert public attention from pressing concerns facing Bihar.

He alleged that the state treasury was empty and that the government had failed to deliver on governance and development.

“Samrat Chaudhary is not raising his own issues. The treasury is empty, and the government has no work to show. To divert attention from these failures, he keeps talking about irrelevant matters,” Tejashwi said.

The RJD leader went on to claim that Samrat Chaudhary was not functioning as a “Chief Minister in the true sense” and accused him of engaging in petty politics rather than focusing on Bihar’s development.

According to Tejashwi, the government has deliberately sought to create controversy by discussing matters such as the allotment of official residences and security arrangements.

He further stated that he and his family had voluntarily given up reliance on government security and instead trusted the support of the people and party workers.

Taking the attack a step further, Tejashwi alleged that the government was attempting to suppress discussion on issues such as rising crime, corruption, and administrative failures by focusing on politically motivated controversies.

Referring to the Rishu Shree case, he expressed concern about the authorities’ lack of action and highlighted what he described as a deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.

He alleged that incidents of crime, including crimes against children and women, were increasing while corruption had become widespread across government departments.

“The government wants to distract people by talking about security and housing. But the people of Bihar know the reality. No work gets done in many departments without bribery, and crime is increasing across the state,” he alleged.

Tejashwi also defended the allotment of official residences to himself and Rabri Devi.

He said neither of them had received government accommodation as a favour.

According to him, his residence was allotted because of his constitutional position as Leader of the Opposition, while Rabri Devi was entitled to accommodation as a former Chief Minister.

“In an attempt to divert attention from real issues, Samrat Chaudhary keeps raising questions about security and housing. I can name many individuals who were allotted government residences despite having no legitimate claim. The government has no explanation for why security has been provided to several relatively insignificant individuals,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition maintained that the people of Bihar were closely watching the developments and would ultimately judge those attempting to politicise the issue of security and official accommodation.

–IANS

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