Opposition Huddles to Get Police Act Withdrawn
Patna: Mar. 29, 2007
 Following up on their threats they made on Wednesday, the Communist Party of India (ML), long known for its aversion for the law and judiciary of the land, launched its protest against the Nitish government in Bihar for introducing the tough Police Act that gives more power to the police in dealing with criminals.
Calling it the 'Black Act', CPI-ML activists described the Police Act 'unconstitutional and a diluted' version of TADA (Terrorism and Disruptive Activities) and POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) designed to put away innocent people on false, made-up pretenses'.
The CPI-ML legislator Arun Singh said that the Police Act gave too much power to the police who would arrest any one who are seen protesting in public areas or holding political rallies.
"This is all to suppress the voice of the opposition," Singh said adding a high-level party meet has been called on April 2 and 3 to plan for a statewide agitation against the Police Act.
 Meanwhile, other opposition parties are also powwowing to come up with a strategy to force the NDA government to withdraw the Police Act.
Led by the Grand Poobah Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), other parties including the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Communist Party of India, and Samata Party are said to be working out a way to build pressure on the government to withdraw the Police Act which, according to the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will help curb the crime graph drastically.
RJD leader Shyam Rajak said soon a meeting of all opposition parties will be held in which they will decided their next course of action against the NDA government.
Unperturbed by the widespread criticism by the opposition leaders, Kumar said the opposition was opposing everything the NDA government was doing just for the sake of opposing.
"They have no valid point to oppose but just because they are in opposition, they feel they must oppose everything that the government does," Kumar said.
He also described the opposition leaders' act of tearing up the copies of Police Act bearing a picture of the national symbol Ashok Pillar as anti-national.
"In order to gain cheap publicity, these people do not even hesitate in destroying our national symbol," the Chief Minister said at a press conference in Patna on Thursday.
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