Patna, Feb 23 (IANS) The Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed a sharp and unusual debate within the ruling alliance over the issue of constructing boundary walls and fencing for temples and monasteries, with a BJP MLA openly questioning his own government’s policy.
The matter was raised during Question Hour by former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad, who asked why boundary walls and fencing for temples and monasteries could not be constructed without registration under the Religious Trust Board.
He also demanded that such works be permitted under the Chief Minister’s Area Development Scheme.
Responding to the query, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary clarified that the state government cannot carry out fencing or boundary wall construction for religious institutions that are not registered with the Religious Trust Board.
The clarification triggered a sharp intervention from MLA Engineer Sunil Kumar, who represents Bihar Sharif.
Cornering the government, he questioned why the fencing of graveyards is allowed while similar facilities for temples and monasteries require mandatory registration.
He alleged that in several areas, government land has been illegally encroached upon in the name of fencing graveyards.
Citing his constituency, Sunil Kumar claimed that parts of Ranchi Road in Bihar Sharif had been blocked due to encroachment on government land allegedly linked to graveyard fencing.
The BJP MLA further questioned why fencing for minority community graveyards is possible, while temples belonging to the majority community face procedural hurdles.
Sunil Kumar’s remarks sparked strong objections from the Opposition Benches.
RJD MLA Bhai Virendra protested, stating that the original question pertained only to temples and monasteries and that references to graveyards were unnecessarily introduced.
He demanded that the remarks concerning graveyards be expunged from the official Assembly proceedings, leading to heated exchanges between Treasury and Opposition Benches.
Separately, the Assembly also took up the issue of funds not being credited to the bank accounts of 5,254 female students under the Student Credit Card Scheme.
Raising the matter, Tarkishore Prasad sought clarification from the government regarding delays in disbursement.
Replying on behalf of the government, Minister Vijendra Yadav said that a dedicated corporation was constituted after the launch of the Student Credit Card Scheme and that the process of resolving pending cases is currently underway.
He assured the House that efforts are being made to clear all pending applications.
–IANS
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