Case against Lesi Singh: Tejaswi hits out at Nitish

Dheeraj Kumar | NT

Patna: On Sunday, a senior Bihar  minister, facing charge  involvement in a murder  case, defended herself by  contending that she is the  victim of a political conspiracy. Leshi Singh, who  is a senior minister in the  Nitish Kumar cabinet, was  alleged to be involved in the  murder of former district  board member of Purnea,  Vishwajeet Singh, on Friday evening. The deceased’s  wife, a district board member herself, held the minister directly responsible for  her husband’s murder.

She told reporters, “I am  surprised over my name  figuring in the murder  case. I am being implicated  in the case under a political  conspiracy.”

The minister is not new  to controversy — an FIR  was lodged against her  and six others in Purnea in  connection with the murder of RJD candidate Bittu  Singh’s brother. He was  murdered during polling in  the third phase of the 2020  state assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the minister  received strong backing  from her party, the JD (U),  when its president Rajiv  Ranjan Singh alias Lalan  Singh, refuted RJD leader  Tejaswi Yadav’s demand  for her dismissal by saying,  “He (Tejaswi) is the leader  of opposition and his work  is to make allegations  against the government.”

“Tejaswi has no concern  for Bihar, he was outside  the state and now he has returned but will again go on  sojourn after making some  comments,” said Singh, an  MP and a close confidant of  CM Nitish Kumar.  Leshi Singh’s husband,  known gangster Butan  Singh, was shot dead when  he was in judicial custody  and was being produced in  court in 2000.

Meanwhile, Tejaswi Yadav sharpened his attack  on the state government by  alleging that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ‘gangs’  are operating in the state,  and demanded Lesi Singh’s  dismissal from the state  cabinet. “Bihar Police is  acting like Nitish Kumar’s  police. A film called Gangs  of Wasseypur was released  and in Bihar also, the gangs  of Nitish Kumar were operating,” Tejashwi remarked,  adding, “Will Nitish Kumar  tell us when he will remove  the accused minister from  her post?”

Tejashwi also alleged  that there is no difference between Nitish and  his UP counterpart, Yogi  Adityanath. “There is no  difference between Yogi  Adityanath and Nitish  Kumar. We witnessed how  farmers were trampled in  Uttar Pradesh, and the accused stood alongside chief  minister Yogi Adityanath,”  he said.