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Nitish sees a sinister design against Biharis

New Delhi: Giving another dimension to the identity proof controversy in the capital, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday saw the move as a “sinister design” to target the people from his State.

Mr. Kumar alleged that the “dangerous” move, making it compulsory for citizens of Delhi to carry identity proofs was to cover up the “failure” of the police and the intelligence in the name of security and an attempt to turn Delhi into a “police State.”

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said: “Of late, there is a growing tendency among higher-ups in Delhi to ridicule Biharis to ignore their contribution and to try and get rid of them. This whole exercise appears to be one such sinister design to target people of Bihar origin.”

Delhi reflected the confluence of many regions and cultures and no one could claim exclusive jurisdiction over the national capital.

The contribution of Biharis for the development of Delhi could not be ignored. People of Bihar would not oppose if the Centre decided to issue identity cards to all citizens. “But this present exercise, meant only for Delhi, smacks of discrimination. In the name of security, we cannot play around with citizen’s liberty, their rights and the Constitution,” he said. — PTI

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