Paswan mocks Nitish for 'Sangh-Mukt Bharat' call

Patna: Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan on Sunday mocked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for appealing to non-BJP parties to make a 'Sangh-mukt Bharat' and dubbed the latter as a "fine actor".

"What a fine actor he is! He did not see anything wrong with the BJP/RSS during his association with them for 17 years. Now he is singing a different tune and wants to make the country Sangh-mukt," the LJP supremo told reporters.

The Bihar Chief Minister must be complimented for being good at acting, Paswan, whose party is an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, said sarcastically.

The Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister also rapped Kumar on the prohibition issue claiming it was he who had set up liquor shops in all corners of the state and made people addicted to liquor by making it available at their door steps over the past decade.

"If liquor is so bad for health as you have realised now,you must owe an explanation to people for making liquor available in all corners of Bihar," he said.

On JD(U) and RJD describing Kumar as 'PM material', Paswan said it is "frivolous".

He said the people of Bihar have given Kumar a mandate to make the state 'crime-free', but there have been "spurt" in murder and related crimes ever since the Grand Alliance government came to power six months ago.

"Even the policemen are not safe in Bihar any longer with several police officers being killed at the hands of the gun-wielding criminals," the LJP supremo said.

He asked the Chief Minister to "improve" the law and order situation in the state first before "nursing" national ambition.