Rahul Gandhi has targeted the Nitish Kumar government over the Gopal Khemka murder case
- Rahul Gandhi criticised Bihar government over businessman Gopal Khemka's murder in Patna
- Khemka was shot outside his home; he owned Magadh Hospital and petrol pumps
- Nitish Kumar urged officials to complete the murder probe swiftly and warned police
In a scathing attack on the Bihar government over the murder of businessman Gopal Khemka in Patna, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has said the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have turned Bihar into India's "crime capital". Crime, he said, had become the "new normal" in the state, which votes this year.
Urging the people to vote out the government that "cannot protect" their children, he said this was an election not to change the government, but to "save Bihar".
Gopal Khemka, a prominent businessman, was shot dead outside his Patna home late on Friday night. A man approached his car right outside his house, shot him and fled the spot. Mr Khemka owned Magadh Hospital and several petrol pumps. His son was murdered in Hajipur seven years ago over a land dispute.
The murder has put the Nitish Kumar government in a spot as the ruling coalition of JDU and BJP preps for the Assembly polls. The Opposition, the RJD and the Congress, are now targeting the state government over the law and order situation.
The Chief Minister's Office yesterday said in a statement that Mr Kumar met top officials yesterday and asked them to complete the probe into the businessman's murder at the earliest. He has stressed that the rule of law is top priority for the government and "warned of strict action against police personnel in case of negligence".
In a post on X this morning, Mr Gandhi said, "The murder of businessman Gopal Khemka has again proved that the BJP and Nitish Kumar have collaborated to make Bihar India's crime capital. Bihar is today living in the shadow of loot, bullets and murder. Crime has become the new normal and the government has completely failed."
"Bihar's brothers and sisters, this injustice cannot be tolerated anymore. The government that cannot protect your children cannot take responsibility for your future. Every murder, loot and bullet is a cry for change. It is time for a new Bihar where progress, and not fear, resides. This is not an election just to change the government, but to save Bihar," he said.
While some relatives of Mr Khemka have alleged delay in police response, Bihar's top cop has denied this. "There is no question of delay in police action. Information about the incident reached the police around 12.30 am on Saturday. After the shooting took place at 11.40 pm on Friday, his family members took him to a private hospital in Kankarbagh locality, which took almost 30-35 minutes. The hospital authorities alerted the police. Senior officers reached the crime scene around 12.40 am," Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar told news agency PTI. An SIT has been formed to probe the murder, he added.
The chilling murder has put the NDA on the backfoot at a time when it was targeting the Opposition bloc with the 'jungleraj' plank - a term used by rivals to refer to the RJD regime earlier in power in Bihar.
Amid the Opposition's offensive, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said Mr Khemka's murder is a challenge for the state government. "The Chief Minister has constituted an SIT and given clear instructions. The criminals won't be spared and Bihar police would protect businessmen and ensure such incidents do not recur," he said. He did not respond to questions on Mr Gandhi's "crime capital" remark.
