Bihar headed towards 'bulldozer rule' with Samrat Chaudhary as Home Min: Dipankar

Hajipur (Bihar), Nov 23 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Sunday alleged that the "Home Department has been snatched from Nitish Kumar" by the BJP, and that Bihar is headed towards "bulldozer rule" with Samrat Chaudhary as the state home minister.

The Home portfolio, which had earlier been with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has now been allotted to BJP's Samrat Chaudhary.

Addressing a memorial meeting in Hajipur in remembrance of CPI (ML) Liberation leader Visheshwar Prasad Yadav, who died during electioneering in Supaul, Bhattacharya said, "Now, there will be the rule of bulldozer, and not law, on the lines of Uttar Pradesh." Bhattacharya asserted that his party will firmly fight against "bulldozer rule".

Asserting that Bihar has entered a "dangerous era", he claimed that the recent Bihar assembly elections were marred by "unprecedented irregularities".

"Around 70 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls, and 20-25 lakh new names were added," he said, alleging that this "altered booth-level voter balance".

Bhattacharya also criticised the pre-poll facilitation of public funds, saying, "Rs 30,000 crore was handed out under various schemes after four years of absolute ignorance towards people." "The entire electoral machinery has been reduced to a joke," he alleged.

The CPI(ML) leader opposed the implementation of the four "anti-worker" labour codes after the elections, and called for a massive protest on Constitution Day on November 26.

"Under the new codes, work hours have been increased from eight to 12 hours, strikes have been made near impossible, security of work is absent, and yet they say that the codes are meant to ensure employment security," he said.

Bhattacharya further accused the ruling coalition of "deceiving women voters" by giving them Rs 10,000 each ahead of the polls, and warned of rising social oppression in the future. PTI SUK ACD