Opposition BJP legislators raised the issue of the alleged attacks on Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu on Thursday in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Council. They demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. They also taunted Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav for attending the birthday function of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai on March 1.
Mr. Kumar expressed concern over the alleged attacks on Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu. “I have learnt from newspapers that labourers from Bihar employed in Tamil Nadu are being attacked. I have asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to speak to officials in Tamil Nadu to ensure the safety and security of Bihari workers there,” he tweeted.
“Bihar’s labourers are being beaten up in Tamil Nadu but there was neither CM nor Deputy CM or even the Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the House to reply,” Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha said, addressing mediapersons in the Assembly premises.
“When labourers from Bihar were being attacked in Tamil Nadu, Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav was celebrating the birthday of Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin and eating the cake,” Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Ccouncil Samrat Choudhary said.
Mr. Sinha and Mr. Choudhary demanded Mr. Kumar’s resignation over the issue.
The Bihar Police Headquarters said in a release that the Tamil Nadu Police had said the purported videos of attacks on labourers from Bihar in Tirupur and Coimbatore were “false and mischievous”. The videos had been posted without any substantive facts, the Bihar Police stated. “All Hindi speaking people in Tamil Nadu are safe and everyone’s safety and security is being taken care of,“ the release further said.
The Tamil Nadu Director General of Police has said the videos circulating on social media showing the alleged attacks were “false and mischievous”. In a video message, the T.N. DGP C. Sylendra Babu said: “Someone in Bihar has posted a false and mischievous video that migrant laborers were attacked. The videos showing attack on two labourers are false. The two incidents took place much earlier and the clash wasn’t between migrant workers and locals in Tirupur and Coimbatore....All [videos] are twisted and made to appear like Biharis are attacked. However, law and order is maintained very well in the State. Action will be taken against those spreading the false news.”
Earlier, some reports had said that workers from Bihar were being beaten up and killed by locals in Tamil Nadu over issues related with their daily wages.
Published - March 02, 2023 07:27 pm IST
