Tejashwi Yadav also announced that he will visit the Nandan village on Saturday
A week after Nitish Kumar's convoy was attacked with stones in Buxar, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav on Friday dismissed allegations of a conspiracy by his party and dared the Bihar chief minister to arrest him if there was any evidence.
"Put me behinds bars if I was behind the incident" Mr Yadav, 28, said at a press conference in Patna. In reply to a query, he said that it was not a pre-planned incident rather it was spontaneous incident "which was nothing but a sheer outburst of people's anger."
Several BJP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, and Janata Dal (United) leaders had earlier alleged that RJD leaders were behind the attack.
The Chief Minister's convoy was pelted with stones during his tour of Nandan village in Dumraon block as part of his state-wide Vikas Samiksha Yatra on January 12. Although Mr Kumar remained unharmed, several security personnel suffered injuries and a few vehicles in the cavalcade were damaged in the stone-pelting.
At least 28 people, including 10 women, were arrested for throwing stones.
Tejashwi Yadav, in his press conference, said the incident was a failure of the administration and intelligence agencies and that the chief minister should undertake "paschatap yatra" (penitence) instead of "Vikash Samiksha Yatra".
"RJD's fact finding team found both the administration and intelligence agencies responsible for the incident (stone pelting incident on CM's convoy)...Had the CM heard people's grievances, such an incident would not have occurred...It was the administration which resorted to lathicharge on the people who wanted to meet the CM," he said.
Tejashwi Yadav also announced that he will visit the Nandan village on Saturday and meet the people there.
Although an official inquiry was ordered, the report is yet to be submitted to the state government. Prima facie, the state government is of the opinion that not only was there a well-hatched conspiracy, but it was also a failure on the part of the local district administration.
(With inputs from agencies)