RJD Leader Fires Salvo at Shivanand Tiwari
Patna: June 21, 2007
The war of words between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Janata Dal (U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari over Bhagalpur riots further intensified on Thursday when Khan called Tiwari a liar whose statements were undignified, baseless, and a pack of lies.
"To call the Special Public Prosecutor Brajkishore Singh an incompetent, lazy slob shows the mentality of Tiwari. If Tiwari's characterizations were true, then why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appointed Singh as Government Prosecutor in the High Court?" the RJD leader asked.
"Tiwari's insinuation that the RJD tried to subvert the trials of Bhagalpur riot accused is also far from the truth. In fact, during the RJD regime 308 accused were convicted but apparently Tiwari does not remember that because it does not fit his political agenda," Khan said at a press conference that was also attended by RJD leader Shyam Rajak and Nihora Yadav.
Refuting Tiwari's claim that he first saw Kameshwar Yadav, the chief accused in the Bhagalpur riot, at Lalu Prasad Yadav's court during the RJD rule in Bihar, Khan asked Tiwari to provide some evidence of that while insisting Kameshwar Yadav was in fact a right wing Hindu operative who had contested Assembly elections from Nath Nagar in 1990 on a Hindu Mahasabha ticket.
As reported previously, Tiwari, on Wednesday had accused the RJD government of delaying Bhagalpur riot trials due to political compulsions. He also hinted at close ties between the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Kameshwar Yadav, the chief accused in the massacre that resulted in the loss of hundreds of Muslims in 1989.
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