'Jungle Raj' prevails in Gujarat, not in Bihar: Vaghela

Ahmedabad, May 17: In the wake of the recent triple murder in Surat, Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela today attacked the BJP-led Gujarat government for "deteriorating" law and order situation and alleged that "jungle raj" was prevailing in the state.

Vaghela, who is the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, while citing the figures of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), said the tag of 'jungle raj' "fits Gujarat more than Bihar". The BJP has recently criticised the Nitish Kumar-led government and the law and order situation in Bihar which it dubbed as "maha jungle raj".

"Three people were killed in Surat recently. On an average, three incidents of rape and murder happen daily in Gujarat, particularly in urban parts," Vaghela said. The NCRB figures show that more murders have taken place in Gujarat than in Bihar, Vaghela added.

"Situation in Gujarat is worse than Bihar. NCRB figures clearly suggest that jungle raj prevails in Gujarat," alleged Vaghela. People in Gujarat are forced to protect themselves, as state government has lost its control over the law and order situation due to "lack" of man power in police department.

"Thirty three posts in state Home Department are still vacant. This is higher than any other state in the country. Various IPS officers are made 'in-charge' of other departments. Even the Gujarat DGP is 'in-charge'. This has deteriorated the law and order situation in Gujarat," he said.

After the sudden transfer of the erstwhile Director General of Police P C Thakur to Delhi last month, senior IPS officer P P Pandey has been holding the additional charge of the state DGP. Meanwhile, Gujarat BJP slammed Vaghela for his remarks, saying that Congress should first introspect about what the situation was when they were in power 20 years back in the state.

"Congress must not forget that criminals were having a free hand in their rule. Before levelling such baseless allegations, Congress should look into their past. It was the BJP which established the rule of law. That is why people are choosing BJP since the last two decades," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

PTI