Bihar Minister Blames RJD for Viral Videos, Draws Flak Over Yadav Remark
Bihar Minister Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha accused the RJD of circulating objectionable videos and made a controversial remark about the Yadav community, drawing sharp opposition backlash.
Bihar's Planning and Development Minister, Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, on Friday accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of being behind the circulation of objectionable videos on social media showing minor girls being molested in several districts of the State.
Speaking to reporters at the party office during the weekly programme where Janata Dal (United) quota ministers hear public grievances, Mr. Kushwaha said the opposition had run out of issues and was trying to damage the government's image. He claimed that when such videos are examined closely, nothing substantive is found.
The Minister also drew controversy by calling people of the Yadav community "Lucha-Lafanga" (rogues and ruffians) and, without citing any data, asserted that the majority of prisoners in jails belong to that community. He backed Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's earlier remarks linking Yadavs to criminal incidents, describing Mr. Manjhi as a seasoned politician whose assessments are accurate.
Mr. Kushwaha further defended the release of a photograph from the Chief Minister's official X handle showing the Jamui victim — a minor girl molested earlier this week — with her parents during their meeting with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in Patna. Asked whether the act violated the POCSO Act, he said there was nothing wrong with it and that the media was creating an unnecessary uproar.
The RJD hit back on X, quoting the Minister's remark and accusing the government of pursuing social and political polarisation by setting one community against others. The party suggested that any Yadav person aggrieved by the "casteist" comment could file a defamation case.
Separately, RJD MP Misa Bharti visited the Secretariat Police Station in Patna to lodge an FIR against Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over the molestation cases. She said police refused to register the complaint against the Chief Minister, and questioned what recourse ordinary citizens would have if an elected representative's FIR is turned away.