Bihar polls | Granting jobs to kin of SC/ST persons killed is like encouraging murder: Tejashwi Yadav's jibe at Nitish Kumar

Upping the ante ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on September 5 targeted the Nitish Kumar-led state government over its decision to grant jobs to the kin of persons from the scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) killed in Bihar.

"Since polls are nearing, Nitish Kumar has announced government jobs to the kin of SC/ST person killed in Bihar. Why shouldn't jobs be given to kin of people of OBC, or general category, who are killed? This is like encouraging the murder of SC/ST people," Yadav said during the briefing.

Yadav, who is the son of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, said Bihar has one of the highest unemployment rates in India at 46 percent. "Around 4.5 lakh posts are vacant in different departments of the state government. If given a chance, our government will fill all the vacant posts and create new vacancies in proportion to population," he added.

Earlier on September 4, Kumar ordered disposal of cases pending under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by September 20.

He also asked officials to frame rules for providing job on compassionate grounds to one dependent of a SC and ST in the event of untimely death.

Kumar instructed Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department Secretary Prem Kumar Meena to get in touch with officials of the concerned departments for speedy disposal of the cases, an official release said.