As Nitish heads to RS, minorities concerned over welfare schemes

Patna: With CM Nitish Kumar filing his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election, sections of the minority community in Bihar have begun expressing concern over the future of several welfare schemes and the law and order situation once he steps down from the top post.

Sitamarhi resident Simab Akhtar appreciated the work done by the CM for Muslim students and Madarsa teachers. “I admire his several schemes and decisions related to minorities. My father was a Madarsa teacher and during Lalu Prasad’s regime he used to get Rs4,000 annually, and by the time of his retirement he got Rs49,000 per month. Thanks to the efforts put in by Nitish Ji, who implemented the 7th pay commission,” he said.




Simab said now people would realise even more the work done by him. “Even those who are the followers of Lalu Prasad cannot deny the fact that Nitish Ji worked a lot for Muslims. In fact they are talking about it now,” he said, adding, “There was no big communal violence during Nitish’s regime and that was a big achievement.”

Raja Bazar resident Mohammad Gauhar also pointed towards some of the works like scholarships for minority students, free coaching, and construction of boundary walls of graveyards, along with maintaining law and order.

“He is credited for the peace in Bihar and now we are worried as to what the situation will be after he quits the top post. It was Nitish who never let any violence erupt and ensured Bihar lived in peace. Let’s see how BJP manages now,” said a city resident.

JD(U) state spokesperson Anjum Ara said the CM has held a record of not letting any violence erupt in the state. She said it was only in Nawada that a curfew was imposed for a few hours, and that brought the situation under control. “He maintained peace throughout his tenure. Everyone lives without fear,” she said.

Ara praised the scholarships for minority students, monetary support for divorced Muslim women, and the increase in the salary of Madarsa teachers, along with the fencing of graveyards. “Nitish Ji is there in the NDA and he has assured he will take care of Bihar. We have faith that the benchmark which Nitish Ji set will be continued by his successor by abiding by his principles,” she said.