Lalu 'super chief minister' in Bihar, Nitish a puppet: BJP

New Delhi, Jan 29: Citing the Bihar government's decision to withdraw cases against Lalu Prasad, BJP today said it has vindicated its charge that the RJD chief was the "super chief minister" and claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could go to any extent to save his chair.

"Kumar has become a puppet Chief Minister. His silence when the state is seeing a rise in criminal cases and many MLAs of the ruling alliance are accused of crime, is shameful," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

The RJD-JD(U)-Congress alliance's poll slogan 'Bihar me bahar ho', in reality, had become 'Apradhi ki bahar ho' (criminals are having a field day), he said, citing a number of recent cases. A Congress MLA has been accused of kidnapping a minor girl, a JD(U) MLA has threatened a DSP and an RJD legislator has been accused of threatening cops, Sharma alleged.

He also referred to a number of cases of murder, kidnapping and robbery to make his point. Sharma hit out at the Bihar government over its decision to withdraw a vandalism case against Prasad and his two minister sons.

"BJP has been saying that Prasad is the super chief minister in Bihar. It (withdrawal of cases) only vindicates our stand," he said.

A district court in Patna had on Wednesday closed a case against Prasad relating to an FIR registered against him during the last Lok Sabha elections, on a plea of the state government.

It came days after the government sought closure of another case against Lalu and his two sons in connection with a party-sponsored bandh on July 27, last year.

PTI