Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday hit out at rivals for "playing politics over every crime" in of eastern Indian state of Bihar and said that the rule of law prevails in the state even as his government is under attack from BJP, which has raised the 'jungle raj' charge against the ruling dispensation.
The killing of two engineers in Darbhanga recently and a jeweller in Patna on Saturday has led the opposition BJP to step up its attack on the coalition government led by Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) leader Kumar.
"Incidents of crime are happening in the country and also outside. Therefore, making an assessment of the government's functioning after every instance of crime is not justified," the chief minister told reporters here.
Launching a blistering attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies for levelling allegations against his government, he said that the rival parties should stop "playing politics over every crime".
"A few people talk about crime by clubbing small and separate incidents together so that people feel anxious over the crime situation... After the severe drubbing in (Assembly) elections, they (rival parties) have no other work than to spread lies about the state government," charged Kumar.
Seeking to instil confidence in the people and allay their anxieties, he said, "There is no reason for fear. There is no problem of law and order in the state."
The government, Kumar said, is taking steps to stamp out organised crime and if someone gets a threat, he or she should report it to the police in time.
Policemen who do not act promptly in such cases would be subjected to stringent action, he added.
The chief minister said he would direct the state police chief to regularly interact with the media so as to provide a "correct" picture of the law and order situation in Bihar.
"The police headquarters should more particularly give all the details to reporters after any incident that hogs the limelight," Kumar said on the sidelines of a function here.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had in the wake of the killing of a jeweller on Saturday charged that "jungle raj" had returned in Bihar and sought the intervention of Governor Ramnath Kovind in the matter.