PatnaDaily.Com - Readers Write

Dear Mr. Chief Minister:

I am not going to shower you with praise and cover you with suggestions on how to make Bihar a prosperous state. A lot of self-described experts have already made it their full time job so I am going to cut to the chase and ask you this: WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING TO CURB CRIME IN BIHAR? DO YOU EVEN HAVE A CLUE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BIHAR?

Do you read newspapers? Surf Internet? Watch and hear news on radio and TV? Or are you also one of those power-hungry people surrounded by chamchas who give you only good news and the news that you want to hear? Crime is at its highest peak - people are being murdered in broad daylight, robbed every minute, kidnapped on a daily basis. Children and women are not safe. Naxalites are making a mockery of the law enforcement officials.

Are you aware of these ground realities or will you continue to just keep making hollow promises one after another like you will check crime within three months of coming into power? Do you remember that or we just dreamed of that? What was that all about? On what basis did you make that promise? I am interested in knowing your pre-election crime check plan. How were you planning to check crime in Bihar in three months? Why didn't you succeed in that? Was there even a plan to start with or was it just another ploy to win election?

And another thing - just because you go out and give Rs. 1 lakh or 10 lakh from tax-payers' money to murder victims' family members DOES NOT exonerate you from the crime being committed under your watch. You politicians think that by throwing money on the faces of crime victims' family members somehow will wash off your sins. Well, YOU ARE WRONG!!! The buck stops at you. YOU are responsible for the safety of the innocent, law-abiding citizens in Bihar and no amount of explanation or passing bucks or attempt to wiggle out of it can free you from that.

Banks/Post Offices are being robbed, businessmen are killed, customers returning from banks are shot and killed. Houses where marriages are to take place are turning into places of mourning from where dead bodies are being taken out for final rites. Are you aware of these things? Do you realize the gravity of the situation?

Your priorities are all messed up. Let me repeat it: your priorities are completely out of whack!

CHECK THE CRIME FIRST - GET IT? Check the crime - that should be your first and ONLY priority and motto for the next 12 months. CATCH THE CRIMINALS, KILL THEM IN ENCOUNTERS - IN THEIR JAIL CELLS, HANG THEM IN PUBLIC PLACES, FIRE YOUR ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BRING IN THE ARMY, GIVE ARMS TO LAW ABIDING CITIZENS, LAUNCH MASSIVE STRIKES AGAINST NAXALS AND WIPE THEM OFF FROM THE FACE OF BIHAR; GET RID OF CRIMINALS FROM YOUR OWN PARTY - DON'T PROTECT THEM ON TECHNICAL GROUNDS (Two words: Anant Singh - does that ring a bell???). Launch an all-out WAR, and I mean it in its truest literal sense, on these scum of the society - that should be your ONLY goal for next seven months.

Forget about turning Ganga ghats into Marine Drive. Forget about tourism, forget about sugar industry, forget about IIM and IIT, forget about illegal encroachment. Criminals are roaming fearlessly and your police officers are busy catching scooter drivers without headlights and making them do utthak-baithaks in full public view. If you can humiliate them, why can't you 'humiliate' criminals in public as well? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Also, shun the politics of appeasement. A criminal is a criminal irrespective of his caste, color, religion or language. Trying to rehabilitate hard-core criminals is like trying to straighten up a dog's tail - it's an exercise in futility. Don't waste your time or public fund to perpetuate crime by giving money to the criminals to buy more arms.

You have wasted the first five months - now use the next seven months to eradicate crime from Bihar. It's still not too late to wake up and do the right thing.

We had a lot of hope from you but the truth is: YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS PROVEN NO BETTER THAN LALU-RABRI REGIME. In some cases, it's even worse! In five months since you have been sitting on that much-coveted Chief Minister's chair, you and your ministers have been nothing but a bag of false promises and dream merchants who have been trying to mislead the people who voted for them.

You STILL have the support of the people; SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT! Be a great Chief Minister who will be remembered for centuries through the annals of history or be a CM like Lalu and Mishra and be lost for ever in the dust of obscurity. The choice is yours!

Comments:

It is true that the present CM has made promise to control crime within three months of coming to Power. He has taken a number of good measures to achieve his objective. But the problem is very deep and has serious social and political connotation. A society does not become civilised or uncivilised within a short span of three months. Bihar was, once upon a time, inhabited by law abiding, peace loving and large hearted people. But what has happened to make the present day of Bihar. This needs deep thinking. A sort of social and political revolution is required to get rid of malaise the State of Bihar is under these days. - Janak Kumar Singh - May 1, 2006

That still doesn't answer my question - Why did Nitish Kumar make a promise that he knew very well he couldn't keep? Based on what records he assumed that he will end (or even lower) crime in three months? Don't you think he misled people?

I was one of his cheerleaders rooting for his success but now even after five months, crime, instead of going down, has gone up and I am forced to reevaluate my support for him. How could he be so wrong in his pre-election analysis? The entire NDA government should realize that their honeymoon is now over and it's time they put their money where their mouths are. All I hear is talk, talk, and more talk with no sign of any result.

I also think the concerned citizens of Bihar should continue to mount pressure on the government to perform, to show result and not just talk. If not, it's just another Lalu government in making. People of Bihar cannot afford to be cheated once again by yet another inept bunch of selfish politicians. - Anil Kumar - May 1, 2006

It's really very important that CM takes care of this crime situation in Bihar. I wonder if he ever reads these PatnaDaily pages so I want to know “Mr. Nitish Kumar, are you listening? Please live up to our expectations.” - Neena Gangulee - May 2, 2006

I whole heartedly agree with Anil. I is true that we have high expectations from Mr. Nitish. But that is because we think he is capable of delivering. Another factor for our patience is that while the rest of the world is moving ahead, Bihar's reformation can not be as slow as it is. We have to catch up with other by covering 15 years of no development and then move ahead.

My appeal is the same, Are you listening Mr. CM. - Subodh Kumar - May 3, 2006

Raja ka pehla kartavya hota hai praja ki suraksha karna - It is the first and foremost duty of any ruler to provide security for its citizens. The last government totally failed in it and the present government is not showing any sign of improvement.

Even though Nitish Kumar promised to curb the crime within three months, I do not see any sign of improvement in last three months. In fact, I am seeing more crimes than before. I don't know what is stopping him from taking measures against criminals. I may not question his sincerity (probably I am being too naïve) but I do question the effectiveness of his policy - it is not working at all. He needs to change his strategy for bringing the crime under control. No matter how prosperous he is trying to make the state, people will remain restless with this crime rate. Probably he does not care much since he got enough vote to rule the state for full five years. I was seeing him as a last ray of hope for Bihar but I think I am being too optimistic. - Vinod Sinha - May 4, 2006

Discussion on this topic is now closed.

Are You Listening Mr. Chief Minister?