PATNA, 9 February 2005 — Bihar’s law and order is better than that of other states. The ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal has done a lot for backward classes and minorities in the state, said senior party leader and union minister (independent charge), Prem Gupta.

Gupta, who hails from Haryana, is known as the party’s “Khajanchi” (money manager), while talking exclusively to Arab News, defended the Rabri Devi government’s tenure in Bihar by saying that the state’s law and order is better than other states.

When asked about the abduction spree in Bihar, Gupta cited the abduction of a college girl in Calcutta last week and a recent abduction of a schoolboy in Punjab. “Earlier last week a baby boy was kidnapped from Delhi,” he added.

What would you say about the killing of the Telugu Desam Party legislator in Andhra Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party legislator in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh or the killing of Phoolan Devi next to Parliament? This is not only a national problem but also a worldwide problem. Even Parliament was attacked, he added. Gupta blamed the media for making false propaganda on Bihar’s law and order. “The media should not become a tool in the hands of opposition parties. It should not play with the people’s sentiments. We should sit together and find a solution.”

“What is happening in Bihar is happening on a large scale in other states. I am not encouraging such events. This is an issue we should look into. Nobody should compromise with crime,” Gupta said.

“It is not a law and order problem in Bihar, it was the handiwork of opposition parties to defame the popular Rabri Devi government in the state, Gupta said. Adding that after the release of Kishlay Kaushal, it was again established that goons of Lok Janshakti Party and Bhartiya Janata Party are working hard to bring a bad name to the state.

“Try to find out who was involved in the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited engineers’ kidnapping. Two legislators belonging to LJP were involved. Find out for yourself,” he said.

Even then, the crime rate in Bihar is lower than in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. There is a coordinated campaign against Bihar. People with vested interests are maligning Bihar’s name. After coming to power again in the state, the RJD government will tackle it firmly,” he claimed.

When Gupta’s attention was drawn towards the state’s dismal development, he said, “from this point on, you will not find hear of it again.”