Bihar Minister says people join army to die

Patna (BiharTimes) In a very insensitive and amounting to insult to martyrs, Bihar Rural Works and Panchayati Raj Minister Bhim Singh said,” People join army or police for martyrdom” in reply to question by reporters why he and his other colleagues were not present to receive and pay last homage to four jawans brought by special Air Force plane late last night at the Patna airport. Visibly upset minister  didnot stop there and turned his ire towards media and said that media people had gone there as a part of their duty and they were paid for that.

He went ahead and personally targeting a reporter of a private channel, asked”Had your father gone to receive dead bodies?

There was no minister at the Patna airport last night to receive the bodies of the soldiers.  

Former minister Giriraj Singh said the absence of JD(U) ministers at the airport to receive the bodies of the four slain jawans “showed a lack of sensitivity”

As the statement of minister went to air, opposition leaders up in arms immediately demanded sacking of the minister.

Senior RJD leader Ram Kripal Yadav  said, “The statement of the minister  amounts to humiliating our martyrs. The minister should be dismissed from office immediately. This show how callous and insensitive is the government to the feelings of citizens of the country”,

The leader of opposition in state assembly and senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said , “A minister giving such a comment is shocking. If you can’t be sympathetic, at least don’t insult.”

Conceiving possible political damage chief minister Nitish Kumar later today swung into action and asked Singh to tender unconditional apology. "As soon as I heard his comment, I called him up. He said that he made a mistake. It is very sad that my cabinet minister gave such a comment," told Nitish to media. “We have to respect our martyrs. The whole country is indebted to the soldiers and to give respect to the martyrs is our duty,” he added.
The Bihar Chief Minister had earlier  announced Rs.10 lakh as ex-gratia payment to each of the affected families
Bhim Singh, earlier apologized for his insensitive remark and said that his statement was presented out of context but if it hurt the feelings of the people he sincerely apologized for his statement.
The mortal remains of Sepoy Vijay Kumar Rai of Bihta in rural Patna, Lance Naik Shambhu Saran Singh,  from Bhojpur, Naik Premnath Singh,, and Sepoy Raghunandan Prasad, from Chhapra who were killed along LOC were cremated in their native villages with full state honours amid chants of Anti Pakistan slogans. . It was an emotional moment when two-year-old son Piyush carried in the lap of his kin lit the funeral pyre of his father Shambhu Sharan Singh at Ara. Thousands of people gathered at the cremation ground to pay their homage to the brave soldiers.
However, JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi tried to defend his party ministers who were absent on the airport said,” there were several senior bureaucrats and police officers  present at the airport.
RJD supremo too charged Nitish of being insensitive to the people and would have rushed to Patna to express his solidarity rather attending a media event in Delhi.