CM Unapologetic about taking Actions against Protestors
Patna: Dec. 3, 2007
 Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, following his Janata Darbar in Patna on Monday, hit back at his opponents on the issue of recent tussle between Asha health workers and the local administration saying freedom to protest and speech does not give anyone the right to cause anarchy in the country.
"I am all for peaceful protests and dissents but when these protests are designed to create disorder and chaos at the cost of other people when students are stuck in the traffic for hours and patients are struggling to reach hospitals, they must be dealt with an iron hand. This is called administration," the Chief Minister said.
Kumar said that there were designated areas in the city where the protestors were free to congregate and voice their disagreement with the government but when these protests start affecting the normal life of ordinary people, it is the duty of the government to step in and take stern actions against those who show no concern for other people's convenience.
The Chief Minister also said that efforts were made to bring the Asha activists to the negotiation table but that offer was turned down and some anti-social elements in the group incited others to attack the law enforcement officials that led to the usage of tear gas and water cannon to bring the situation under control.
He, however, denied the police ever resorted to lathi charge as reported in some media.
Kumar further said that Asha workers were not government employees.
"The government does not pay their salaries; it only gives them some stipend to encourage them and keep their morale high," he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister met with several people who came to express their own grievance over several issues ranging from family disputes to police apathy and brutality.
Kumar also took a passing shot at the Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president and Steel, Chemical, and Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan saying if they just did their jobs that they were expected to do instead of giving him advice on how to run the government, things would be much better in Bihar.
"When he had the opportunity to do something for the Muslims in Bihar, he did not do anything. Now he is changing the name of Gulzarbagh to Azeemabad as if that would improve the conditions of the minority," the Chief Minister said.
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