Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, August 31
Senior JDU leader and rural development minister Ashok Choudhary is under fire from leaders of the NDA for his reported comments against upper caste Bhumihars at Jahanabad, 60 km from here.
He alleged the JDU candidate, Chandeshwar Prasad chandravanshi lost the Lok Sabha elections because Bhumihars did not vote for him though Nitish Kumar has done series of development works in the Bhumihar dominates areas.
Choudhary, who is from Dalit community, alleged the influential Bhumihar leaders left Jehanabad and went on vacation to Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata as they hated fielding of an extremely backward caste candidate.
His ministerial colleague and senior JDU leader, Shrawan Kumar regretted the comments of Choudhary and said his allegation against Bhumihars was not true. Chief Minister never discriminated against any caste.
Deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said statement of Choudhary was against national interests. “Bhumihars are not a caste, but a culture,” Sinha said.
Principal spokesman of JDU, Neeraj Kumar, condemned the claim of his party leader and said JDU candidate, Dulal Chandra Goswmi, an OBC leader was defeated in Katihar, where Choudhary was the election in charge. Choudhary did not even stay in the constituency.
Later today, Chaudhury tried to pacify the NDA leaders by claiming “My father was nurtured by Bhumihar leaders Sri Krishna Sinha and Mahesh Prasad Singh. My son-in-law is a Bhumihar.”
