Patna: As migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh continue to face backlash after the rape of a 14-month-old baby, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said an entire state should not be held guilty for the actions of one individual.
Kumar said on Monday that he has spoken to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks on non-Gujarati people, especially those from Bihar.
The JD(U) chief also condemned the alleged rape, which triggered the violent attacks and mass exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat. Kumar added that the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be "tarred with the same brush".
"Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister on Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters here.
"If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state," he said.
Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28.
The attacks intensified following the circulation of hate messages on social media. Police have arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis.
Reacting to the developments, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath said, “People jealous of Gujarat's development are spreading these rumours. Steps taken by the Gujarat government are effective and appreciable. People who are left with no issues are spreading rumours and everyone should stop this."
Meanwhile, the alleged involvement of Gujarat Congress leader Alpesh Thakor has invited trouble for the opposition party. A JD(U) leader in a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blamed the grand old party for the violence against Biharis.
"You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged.
He also took potshots at the Congress alliance with the RJD, saying the Rashtriya Janata Dal is "headed by a convicted person (Lalu Prasad) whose son (Tejashwi Yadav) is also facing corruption charges".
Reacting to the JD(U) MLC's charge, Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said instead of writing a letter to Gandhi, Neeraj Kumar should speak to his boss Nitish Kumar who is running a government in alliance with the BJP which rules Gujarat.
Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav expressed strong resentment over the humiliation Biharis have to face everywhere in the country, Gujarat being only the latest instance.
He asked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to intervene and ensure that attacks on Biharis in Gujarat are stopped.
"If that does not happen, we will ensure that no Gujarati is able to enter Bihar for any purpose whatsoever," Yadav, who has been known for using strong arm tactics in his three-decade-long political career, said.
(With PTI inputs)
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