Bharatiya Janata leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Monday laid the blame for the recent spate of violence in Bihar squarely on the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and maintained that the state has become a hub of communal clashes under their rule.
Rudy was reacting to Sunday's clashes in the Muzaffarpur district, which left three people dead and several others injured.
"Bihar has now become a hub of communal clashes. The whole incident is absolutely unfortunate. Ever since Nitish [Kumar] and Lalu Prasad Yadav partnered, they have reverted back to the old Rashtriya Janata Dal days when law and order ceased to exist. For this incident, Nitish and Lalu Prasad Yadav are squarely responsible," Rudy told ANI.
"All this while, both Nitish and Lalu, who have been running a proxy government in Bihar, have undermined the status and position of the Chief Minister [Jitan Ram Manjhi] in Bihar," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Bihar Police arrested 14 people in connection with the clashes between two communities in Muzaffarpur.
The clashes had reportedly been triggered by the eloping of a youth belonging to a backward caste with a girl from a minority community.
Later, the boy's body was found in a paddy field owned by one Shafaquat Ali, following which a mob attacked the girl's village and set fire to houses.