Patna: The budget session of the Bihar legislative assembly opened amid scenes of disruption on Monday, as opposition lawmakers staged protests inside and outside the House over the arrest of MP Pappu Yadav and a series of violent crimes, including the alleged rape and death of a child in Darbhanga.
Proceedings were repeatedly interrupted as Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress legislators accused the state government of political vendetta and a failure to maintain law and order. Outside the assembly, opposition leaders held demonstrations against what they described as a surge in crime across the state.
RJD MLAs entered the complex carrying placards reading: “When will rape, murder and kidnapping stop? There is law, but no fear. Answer us, government.” Protests also spilled into the assembly lobbies, forcing adjournments.
Much of the opposition’s anger centred on the recent arrest of Pappu Yadav, an independent MP who has been vocal in demanding justice in several high-profile cases. Congress MLA Abhishek Ranjan appeared in the House wearing a T-shirt that read: “Today it’s jail, tomorrow it’s bail, the day after tomorrow the same game will continue.”
Congress MLA Manoj Biswas alleged that Yadav was targeted for leading a planned protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the death of a NEET aspirant. “It has been a month, but no justice has been delivered,” he said. “The government is scared. Anyone who raises their voice for justice is sent to jail.”
Another Congress MLA, Kamrul Hoda, described the arrest as politically motivated, claiming Yadav was detained in connection with a 31-year-old case despite being willing to cooperate with the court. “This is not democracy, this is monarchy,” Hoda said. “Every day there are murders and robberies in Bihar. The administration has completely failed.”
Opposition leaders also condemned the handling of crimes against women and children, particularly the alleged rape and death of a child in Darbhanga. RJD principal general secretary and MLA Ranvijay Sahu said crimes against girls had been occurring “continuously” over the past month. “The government has completely failed,” he said, accusing the state of authoritarian rule.
Hoda echoed those concerns, referring to separate rape cases in Patna and Darbhanga. “The accused are roaming freely, and the government is trying to hide the truth,” he said. “This is a corrupt government with no control over the police administration.”
The state government has yet to respond in detail to the opposition’s allegations, but ruling party leaders have previously rejected claims of political misuse of law enforcement and insisted that action is taken according to legal procedure.
