Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday triggered a political row after claiming that crime had been eliminated in the state, while making a distinction between the English word "crime" and its Hindi equivalent, "apraadh".
Addressing an event organised by the state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in New Delhi, Choudhary spoke about the law and order situation in Bihar and said "Hamare yahan koi apraadh nahi hai. Apraadh ka concept hi khatam ho chuka hai. Crime ho sakte hain, lekin apraadh nahi, koi apraadhi nahi hai (There is no crime here in Bihar. The very concept of crime has been eliminated. There may be a crime, but there is no ‘apraadh’ (offence). There are no criminals)."
His remarks attracted attention after a video of the speech surfaced on social media. The statement also drew criticism from the Opposition, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav sharing the clip and taking a swipe at the chief minister.
Tejashwi Yadav Questions IAS, IPS Officers Over Working With CM
Reacting to Choudhary's remarks, Tejashwi questioned the IAS and IPS officers present on the stage with the chief minister, asking whether they felt "honoured or humiliated" to work with him.
"In Bihar, 'crime' may happen, but not 'apraadh'! My dear fellow countrymen, this is being said by a sample accused in seven murders, the chief minister selected by Modi ji. Do the IAS/IPS officers sitting on the stage feel honoured or humiliated to be working with these people?" Tejashwi wrote on X.
He further targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking, "Has Narendra Modi ji taken a contract to ruin Bihar through this man?"
Tejashwi's reference to seven murders relates to a case registered against Choudhary in the 1990s. The chief minister has maintained that he was falsely implicated in the case.