Dy CM takes charge of Home, says ‘bulldozer ready’

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday took charge of the Home Department and struck a tough tone. “The bulldozer is ready. We have made a list of 400 mafia members and action will be taken,” he announced after assuming office.

Choudhary said a special force would be set up to act against roadside Romeos and ensure the safety of girls going to schools and colleges. He said security in Bihar’s jails would be tightened. “I want to know how mobiles find their way inside jails,” he remarked. He also warned that action would be taken against those abusing others on social media. Recently, one person was picked up from Gujarat by the Bihar Police for derogatory AI-generated images of PM Modi and newly elected MLA Maithili Thakur.

The elevation of Choudhary as an independent Home Minister, a first in more than five decades of Bihar politics, has raised concerns in the Opposition. “This is not the Nitish government that existed before the Assembly polls. Now the Home Department is with the BJP, and you will see fake encounters and bulldozer use frequently,” remarked CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.

However, senior police officials dismissed the notion that Choudhary has absolute power. “A Cabinet decision for transfer, posting and action against IAS and IPS officers will be decided by the CM. This decision was taken during the late Bindeshwari Dubey’s ministry and reconfirmed by the Jagannath Mishra ministry. It still stands today. So Choudhary will have to seek the Chief Minister’s approval for any decision involving IPS officers,” said retired DGP Abhayanand. Choudhary himself has toned down talk of adopting the ‘UP model’ in Bihar. “I will work under the guidance of Nitish Kumar. It will be the Nitish Kumar model,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, the new Nitish government reaffirmed its election pledge in its first Cabinet meeting. “The focus is on creating jobs and attracting industries to the state,” said Chief Secretary Amrit Pratyaya after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The Cabinet decided to hold the first session of the 19th Bihar Assembly from December 1 to 5, during which the newly elected MLAs will be sworn in and a new Speaker elected. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has already nominated Narendra Narayan Yadav of the JD(U) as the pro-tem Speaker. Sources said Prem Kumar of the BJP was tipped to be the new Speaker.

The Cabinet meeting laid emphasis on providing employment to the youth. It noted that from 2020 to 2025, the government had provided jobs to around 50 lakh young people and the new target was to create one crore jobs in the next five years.