Bihar CM Nitish Kumar accuses opposition INDIA bloc leaders of treating Muslims as 'vote bank'
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday accused opposition INDIA bloc leaders of treating the Muslim community as a "vote bank" by portraying themselves as their well-wishers.
Kumar claimed that while opposition leaders are using various tactics to secure the votes of the minority community, no efforts are being made to give them any significant representation.
In a post on X, the CM wrote, "When elections are here, some people (leaders of Opposition parties) are again trying to portray themselves as well-wishers of the Muslim community. This is all deception. They consider Muslims as their 'vote bank' only."
The CM said in the NDA government, people from the minority community are getting their due representation in every sector.
"Without any discrimination, they are getting proper representation in every field, whereas previous governments used the Muslim community only for votes and gave them no share in power", Kumar wrote.
I humbly request people belonging to this community not to get themselves trapped into promises offered by them, he said..
"Remember the work we have done for you and then decide whom to vote for. Before 2005, there was no work for people of the Muslim community in the state. Prior to that, communal clashes used to occur frequently in different parts of the state", the CM stated.
"Since November 24, 2005, when we came to power, steps were taken for the overall development of the Muslim community. In 2025-26, the budget of the Minority Welfare Department was increased 306 times, with a provision of Rs 1080.47 crore annually," he added.
The chief minister highlighted the measures taken to prevent communal incidents, such as fencing more than 8,000 cemeteries since 2006, with 1,273 additional sites identified for fencing, 746 of which have been completed.
Referring to past incidents of communal violence, Kumar noted that, "When we got the opportunity to serve, the Bhagalpur communal riots of 1989 were investigated, strict action was taken against culprits, and compensation was provided to victims. Additionally, assistance in the form of pensions is being given to families affected by the riots. Earlier, there used to be so many Hindu-Muslim conflicts, but now there are no such disputes."
After 2006, madrasas were registered and granted recognition by the state government, Kumar said.
"Teachers in madrasas are being paid salaries equivalent to those of government teachers. Furthermore, after 2007, an assistance amount of Rs 10,000 has been provided to abandoned/divorced Muslim women to help them gain employment, which has now been increased to Rs 25,000 per month," he added.
"Useful schemes like Talimi Markaz and Hunar have been implemented for the Muslim community. Scholarships, free coaching, hostels, grants, and other schemes are being run for students and youth from the Muslim community. The Entrepreneur Scheme is providing benefits to young people to start their own businesses", the CM wrote.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
