Devil's Advocate: Nitish Kumar

    

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Keywords: Karan Thapar, Devil\'s Advocate

Last year in November Nitish Kumar was elected Chief Minister of Bihar amidst high expectations, six months later how is he tackling the incredible challenges he faces? That is the key issue that Karan Thapar discusses with Nitish Kumar on Devil’s Advocate.

Karan Thapar: Chief Minister, you came to power in Bihar claiming that law and order would be your immediate challenge and you promised to make Bihar crime free. Within the first 100 days, we have seen 141 kidnappings and over 400 murders and the police chief says that the crime graph continues to rise. Have you failed?

Karan Thapar: On the subject of law and order, police records show that there is a murder every two hours, a rape every six hours and one bank is looted every single day. Worst still, eight days ago, there were five murders in the streets of your capital in broad daylight in just one week.

Nitish Kumar: I don’t know how you have manufactured these figures.

Karan Thapar: These are police records quoted by the BBC.

Nitish Kumar: I don’t know what you have read in police records but one thing I want to tell you is that as far as law and order is concerned, it has improved. People have started feeling safe in Bihar and there is no fear. Earlier there was a sense of fear.

Karan Thapar: But, five people killed on the streets of Patna in broad daylight?

Nitish Kumar: I don’t know. I have not seen the figures and neither have I seen the figures of the earlier government.

Karan Thapar: But, can people feel safe with such figures?

Nitish Kumar: People do feel safe in Patna now. You go out and ask people on the roads, they do feel safe.

Karan Thapar: They feel safe or have they got used to the crime situation?

Nitish Kumar: Not at all. A number of programmes have been organised in Patna. The Apicon conference in which more than 4,000 physicians from all over the country participated was organised in Patna. It was a very prestigious conference and it was well attended. These people came to Patna after the change of the government. People were enthused, they came in large numbers along with their family members and they returned happily.

Karan Thapar: Do you claim credit for improving the law and order situation?

Nitish Kumar: Yes, why not.