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Bihar Oppn to boycott all-party meeting

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance allies, Janata Dal-United and Samata Party, besides the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (Liberation) will boycott the all-party meet called by Chief Minister Rabri Devi on June 22 in Patna to discuss a strategy for checking caste violence in Bihar.

Stung by criticism over the killing of 34 people, mostly women and children, the chief minister had on Monday called the meeting to evolve a strategy to check the recurrence of violence.

BJP state president Nand Kishore Yadav said there is no justification for calling such a meeting. He accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal of patronising the Ranvir Sena, the outlawed Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and other criminal gangs, which were perpetuating the violence.

Yadav said his party would reconsider their decision if RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav and Chief Minister Rabri Devi tendered an 'unqualified apology' for their failure to check the cycle of caste violence. The situation in Bihar was beyond the control of the present regime, he added.

The Samata party, JD-U and the CPI-ML (Liberation) endorsed this view.

CPI state secretariat member P S Madan said his party would attend the meeting to mount pressure on the state government to take immediate remedial measures. Madan said his party wanted immediate formation of peace committees at the district-level. The committees should have representatives from all political parties, he added.

Meanwhile, the co-ordination committee of the parties supporting the Rabri Devi ministry will meet on Wednesday to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to end the recurring violence. The Congress pressurised Laloo Yadav to convene the meeting after the Miapur massacre.

Union Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar has also called a meeting of political parties, social organisations and intellectuals in Patna on June 25 to explore ways to restore social order and peace in Bihar. He had demanded a brief spell of President's rule to check the cycle of senseless caste killings.

PTI

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