Sushil Kumar Modi flays Nitish for scrapping 'Janata Durbar'

Patna: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi criticised Nitish Kumar for scrapping his weekly 'Janata Durbar', saying the Bihar chief minister should have continued interaction with the people to find out functioning of his government on the ground.

Sushil Modi and Nitish Kumar

"The people from rural areas face a lot of problems in day-to-day affairs and their complaints are generally not heard or addressed by local officials... it is this apathy by the officials that drives the people to knock the doors of the chief minister at his weekly 'Janata Durbar'," Modi told reporters here.

The weekly 'Janata Durbar' was stopped after the June 5 launch of the Public Grievance Redressal Act in Bihar, he said.

Modi, who was the deputy chief minister in the erstwhile NDA government for eight years, charged Kumar with doing away with the 'Janata Durbar' for his political agenda as he had already started using spare time to hold rallies and political meetings elsewhere in the country.

The senior BJP leader had been holding weekly 'Janata Durbar' at his official residence on Tuesdays since becoming the deputy chief minister and has continued with the public engagement even after demitting office three years ago.

Modi also criticised the state government for alleged tardy probe in the rape of a minor girl in East Champaran district earlier this month.