No Minister Needs To Resign, Says Sushil Modi On Bihar Shelter Home Rapes

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi asserted today that there was no need for the resignation of Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma or any other minister in the aftermath of the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal "just because some people are giving statements".

Mr Modi was responding to queries from journalists about demands having been made by some senior leaders of his party for the resignation of Ms Verma, who belongs to the JD(U).

The senior BJP leader made the remark immediately after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "Lok Samvad" programme. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Mr Kumar said that if Ms Verma is found involved or if anything is found against her in connection with the shelter home sex scandal, she may be asked "to go".

Ms Verma is in the eye of the storm after the name of her husband cropped up in the case of sexual abuse of minor girls at the shelter home in Muzaffarpur.

"Making an allegation is different from guilt being proven in an investigation. Some people had even levelled allegations against a minister from our party," Mr Modi said in an obvious reference to Urban Development Minister Suresh Sharma, who is also the Muzaffarpur MLA.

"No BJP leader authorised to give a statement that may be deemed the party's official line has made such a demand. State president Nityanand Rai has not made such a demand. So it would be wrong to construe personal opinions of some leaders as being the party's opinion," Mr Modi said.

Yesterday, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister C P Thakur had said that Ms Verma, whose department is under the scanner in the shelter home scandal, should resign taking moral responsibility for the sexual abuse of more than 30 girls.