Patna: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today hit out at Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar claiming that they should stop shedding “crocodile tears” on the issue of Dalit atrocities in Gujarat as the Dalit victims of massacres in Bihar did not get justice during their chief ministership.

A total of 113 Dalits were killed in various massacres of Bathe, Miyanpur and Bathanitola during RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s regime, the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said.

All the accused, who were convicted in lower court, of these massacres were acquitted by the High Court under the tenure of JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar’s government due to the failure of police to produce evidence, he claimed.

“They (Kumar and Prasad) are trying to reap political dividends by shedding crocodile tears over Dalit atrocities in Gujarat. They should tell people why the state government failed to bring perpetrators of the several massacres of Dalits to justice,” Paswan told reporters here.

Stressing that both Nitish and Kumar were indulging in cheap politics, the minister said he would request Kumar to first improve the law and order of the state so that atrocities against Dalits are checked and justice done to them.

On Lalu Prasad’s suggestion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask all his ministers to keep a cow in their bungalows in New Delhi, Paswan said Kumar should tell Lalu Prasad that keeping cows in bungalows meant for MPs is banned in Delhi.

Lalu Prasad should tell his ministers in Bihar to do so, he said.

Taking exception to the appointment of 90 law officers of Bihar government, the LJP chief said not a single Dalit was considered fit to find a place in the list.

On the liquor ban in the state, Paswan claimed that JD(U) legislators and leaders drink alcohol secretly.

PTI