Our Correspondent
PATNA: Bihar Minority Affairs Minister Minister Abdul Gafoor meeting with imprisoned RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin in Jail rocked the state Assembly today, with opposition BJP demanding his resignation.
Gafoor, however, refused to quit saying he did not commit any crime by meeting a former party MP in jail and he would go and meet Shahabuddin again if he got a chance.
As the House sat for the day, BJP members, supported by NDA allies RLSP, LJP and Hindustani Awam Morcha, demanded that the House take up the issue first before everything else.
Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar made the demand to Speaker Vijay Chaudhary who continued with the Question hour. NDA legislators then trooped into the well of the House shouting slogans against the government.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was not present in the House at that time, but his deputy Tejaswi Yadav was there.
Prem Kumar said the Minister going to Siwan jail to meet a convict has sullied image of Bihar and hence he should quit and if he does not do so, the Chief Minister should dismiss him.
Gafoor and RJD MLA Harishankar Yadav paid a visit to Shahabuddin in Siwan jail on Sunday. A photograph of the three in the jail has gone viral on social media.
Lodged in Siwan jail since 2005 in several cases of murder and kidnapping, Shahabuddin has been convicted by Siwan court in eight cases and was sentenced to life in two.
The Chief Minister has ordered an enquiry into the issue.