Patna:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today charged the Centre and Maharashtra government with failing to rein in Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his threat to throw Biharis out of Maharashtra.
"The MNS chief's diatribes against Biharis pose a challenge to all governments to deal with a person who has been holding out threat to the migrant people. People have the constitutional right to live and work in any part of the country," he told reporters.
"It is the duty of the central government and the government of a state (Maharashtra) to take note of the conduct of a person like Thackeray and deal sternly with such elements," Mr Kumar said.
Demanding strong action against the MNS chief, a visibly angry Mr Kumar asked as to how the Centre and the Maharashtra government would deal with terrorism if they could not rein in a person like Mr Thackeray.
He also slammed the Maharashtra government for not taking any action against Mr Thackeray for his hate speech against Biharis and apparently allowing him to speak on its behalf to question the Bihar government for protesting the arrest of one Abdul Qadir - an accused in desecration of the martyrs memorial in Mumbai last month - from his native Sitamarhi district by Mumbai Police without informing their local counterpart.
"Has the Mumbai police and the Mahashtra government outsourced governance to Thackeray?" he asked.
Mr Kumar said Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police have sought clarification on the protest letter written by the Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) to the Mumbai police chief against the manner of arrest of an accused person (Qadir).
Defending the Bihar DGP's letter, he said as per the circular of the Union Home Ministry the police or investigating agency of any state was duty-bound to inform the local police and seek its cooperation in the arrest of an accused person in a case.
It was not done by Mumbai Police in the arrest of Qadir and several other accused persons from Bihar by police of other states, he said, adding the Bihar government and its police were within their rights to protest the manner of such arrest.
The "lifting" of an accused person by the police of another state without intimation to local police cause law and order problems, Mr Kumar said and demanded that the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry on it be adhered to by all state governments and investigative agencies, including the police.
He also lambasted the Mumbai Police as well as those of other states and investigative agencies for arresting accused persons from Bihar and not intimating their local counterparts saying it amounted to questioning the professional ethics of the police of other states.
If the visiting police teams had sought cooperation of the local police, not only would the latter provide support but also take measures for maintenance of law and order situation arising out of the arrests, Mr Kumar said.
On Mr Thackeray's threat to declare Bihari migrants as "infiltrators" and drive them out of Mumbai and Maharashtra, Kumar said, "If he (Thackeray) challenges the Constitution and democratic rights of the people, then it is a challenge to all governments to deal with the brazen disrespect."
He said he will write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about it soon and demand action against the MNS chief.
Mr Kumar said there was unanimity among all political parties in Bihar who were against Mr Thackeray's hate campaign and demanded strong action against him for his "unconstitutional" and "undemocratic" conduct.
He also asserted that it was the duty of Maharashtra government and the Centre to protect Bihari migrants.