If Minister Has Any Connection, She Will Have to Go: Nitish on Bihar Shelter Home Scandal

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that if Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma is found involved or if anything is found against her in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal, she will be asked "to go".

"I am making it very clear. Anyone found involved or abetting or assisting the perpetrators of the horrific crime would not be spared. If it includes the minister then she also will have to go."

Kumar said this in response to the Opposition demand for the resignation of Verma in the wake of sexual abuse of girls at a state-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur.

Verma is in the eye of a storm after the name of her husband cropped up in connection with the abuse case.

Nitish also announced that his government will now take direct control of such shelter homes and keep NGOs out from such sensitive issues.

Interacting with media after weekly 'Lok Samvad' program in Patna, Nitish Kumar said he always believed in taking action and took dig at the opposition camp who accused him of being silent on the issue.

"The government made statement on the floor of the House of Assembly and I was present. Does it make any difference who reads the statement? Whatever said was our views," he said.

Terming the sit-in and candle march procession by opposition parties led by leader of the opposition in the Assembly Tejaswhi Yadav as political drama, he sought to draw attention about the participants saying, "See who seen with smiling faces at Jantar Mantar. One of them once used the word 'Parkati'(short haired) for women. How can they speak on this issue?"

Nitish was referring to Sharad Yadav who had once controversially used the term Parkati (short haired woman) while arguing against the women's reservation bill in Parliament.

Acknowledging fault in the system, The CM said to find out gaps and remedial steps he chaired a number of review meetings with the chief secretary Deepak Kumar, DGP KS Dwivedi and Principal Secretary of Social Welfare Department Atul Prasad.

"We thought about the role of NGOs. Why should they be given such responsibility? And today I would like to let you know that we have taken an in-principle decision to keep them out from running shelter homes. The government will take this responsibility. We will take control of district level shelters homes in a phased manner", he added.