SHAHPUR MLA RAHUL TIWARI HITS BACK AT THE OPPOSITION

23-JULY-ENG 14

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------RJD MLA of Shahpur Assembly Rahul Tiwari has shared his concerns and efforts regarding the erosion of the Ganges river in Jawainia village. He clarified that as a public representative, he will continue to fulfill his responsibilities, even if politics is done by the opposition. The MLA has also launched a scathing attack on opposition leaders regarding erosion and said that he has been constantly informing the government about this serious problem and raising his voice. The MLA said that when it was time to work, where were those who call themselves ruling leaders.

According to Shahpur MLA Rahul Tiwari, since becoming an MLA in October 2015, he has seriously raised the issue of erosion in Jawainia village. When told by the local people, he had realized from the erosion happening in Nauranga village that this problem would gradually reach Jawainia. Since then, he has prominently raised this issue in every session of the Assembly.

He told that when he asked the government about erosion in the House, the answer was that "no erosion is visible right now, if there is erosion then the government will get the work done." The MLA called this answer the negligence of the NDA government and showing the letter of reply said that this government is completely responsible for the erosion in 2025. According to him, due to the lack of attention of the government, this situation of Jawainiya village has happened today.

Rahul Tiwari also mentioned the letter written to the Chief Minister in 2019, in which he had told that this is a backward and poor area. He also raised the issue of illegal sand mining in Jawainiya village in 2021-22. According to him, the sand mafia had extracted white sand by installing 30-40 dumpers and dumped it on the four-lane road. On this, he talked to the District Magistrate with evidence of video and photos, after which it

was found out that a letter was issued by the mining department in a wrong manner. After his efforts, this illegal mining stopped. He expressed regret that today Jawainiya village is also facing the consequences of that mining.

The MLA informed that after the questions raised and efforts by him, during the Pragati Yatra program, all the erosion affected families got compensation of ₹1,20,000 for the house from the Chief Minister, and 29 landless families were also given ₹1,20,000 along with land papers.

MLA Tiwari also targeted other prominent leaders of the district. He took the names of Awadhesh Narayan Singh (Chairman of Legislative Council) and Radha Charan Seth, and said that despite regular meetings with the Chief Minister, they did not help Jawainiya village for erosion. He also accused the then MP of Ara and Union Minister R.K. Singh that despite being an MP for 10 years and having regular meetings with the Prime Minister, he did not take any steps to build a permanent dam from Nauranga to Damodarpur. According to the MLA, this work was very easy for him.

The MLA said that when it was time to work, where were those who called themselves leaders of the ruling party. But they have been constantly informing the government about the problem and raising their voice. He stressed that the situation of Jawainia village is serious, and the village is on the verge of being completely cut off.

MLA Rahul Tiwari called the politics of allegations and counter-allegations inappropriate in the current situation. He said that this is the time of elections and elections are going to be held in the next two-three months, so everyone is doing politics. Referring to the situation last year, he said that when more than 59 houses were submerged in the Ganga and there was a severe flood, no one was seen.

He took a dig at the opposition leaders and said that they are busy in the controversy of running langar and politics of taking credit, while they should serve the people of Jawainia. He said, “It is your government, you are running to the Deputy CM, Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Sinha, big leaders to get a ticket, so you should have at least gone to save Jawainiya village. You should have made a visit, brought them to Damodarpur Panchayat to see what a bad condition it is, it should be repaired immediately. But no one is paying attention to that.”

On the Thokar Dam construction scam, the MLA said that the government is his and the Finance Minister is also the Deputy CM, so he should have gone first and got the problem resolved. He also stressed that the MP, SDO, Engineer and DM also went there, and the government is his, the department is his, the tender was done by the government. He said that his job is to bring the government's schemes to Shahpur assembly constituency and raise the problem of erosion, whose decision and implementation is the government's job.

Rahul Tiwari said that when the opposition leaders themselves say that “It is Nitish Kumar's government, our government is getting the work done. He said that they are only raising the problem, and have been raising this issue since 2016. He said, “Even today we are saying that erosion is happening, and in the House also what are we saying that erosion is happening, and what answer is the government giving?

He questioned what is the responsibility of the big leaders of the district Awadhesh Narayan Singh and Radha Charan Seth? What steps did the then MP R.K. Singh take for the Nauranga village which is being eroded since 20 years, he also accused former MP R.K. Singh that despite being an MP for 10 years and meeting the Prime Minister regularly, he did not take any step to build a permanent dam from Nauranga to Damodarpur, whereas this was a “child's play” for him. The MLA alleged that if the Prime Minister had wanted, a permanent dam would have been built from Nauranga to Jawainiya and this problem would not have arisen. People from Uttar Pradesh would have benefited and people from Bihar would have benefited. He said that everyone has run away from their responsibilities, whereas he has been continuously serving the people and will continue to do so. He has fulfilled his responsibility. So why will he not take credit for it.

Response of MLA Rahul Tiwari on displacement, compensation and rehabilitation of the people of Jawainiya village:

MLA Rahul Tiwari said that geographically Jawainiya village is in the "danger zone". He assured that those who did not have land have been provided land, and in future also those who will not have land will be provided land. He said, "Those whose houses have collapsed will get compensation. This is the only facility the government can provide." He says that for displacement, such government land should be used which is in a good place. When questioned by local BJP leaders on the allegations of corruption in the construction of Thokar Dam, the MLA retorted that it was the responsibility of the BJP leaders to go to the concerned department and get it investigated. Describing Finance Minister Vijay Chaudhary as a “very honest and powerful minister”, he said that BJP leaders should have met him and got him to intervene in the matter. He said that when Vijay Chaudhary had come to Bariswan village when the work was going on, he should have brought him to Jawainia.

When asked about the main reason for the erosion, the MLA said that Jawainia village is located on the banks of the river Ganga, and according to engineers, rivers change their course every 20-30 years. He said that when the dam was built in the 1980s, the village was on the banks of the Ganga, but after the construction of the dam, the village has technically gone inside the river Ganga. He said that this entire area is a part of the Ganga, and the erosion has started from Nauranga and reached Jawainia, and no one knows where it will go further.

On the relief work being carried out by the district administration, the MLA said that the administration is being "misled". He stressed that the district administration should have made preparations by estimating the flow of water in advance, especially when Jawainiya village was already in the zone of erosion. He said that the District Magistrate had also done an investigation before the flood, but the water came so fast that no one had anticipated, which caused more damage.

The MLA expressed the expectation of better work from the district administration. He said that the houses of the people who have collapsed should be knocked down immediately. He said that earlier many people were not aware that the government is also paying rent, which his workers informed the people.

Some people have complained that the land they have got also gets flooded? On this, the MLA said that the entire Diara gets flooded, and the place he has got is better than the current situation. He said that if the 29 people who have received the form apply in writing that the place allotted to them is not good and they want another place, then he will make arrangements for it and request the District Magistrate. He believes that houses will have to be built by filling soil, because no land will be completely free from water, especially in the Diara area.

On the allegation of “sitting in Patna salon and doing politics”, MLA Rahul Tiwari dismissed it as “useless talk” and “light talk”. He said, “If I had sat in the salon, would the public have elected me as MLA?” He clarified that his profession is not politics, but he does business, and he has come to politics to serve.

He hit back at the opposition leaders and said that they should ask their Prime Minister's close MP what he did after being a minister for 10 years. The MLA said that instead of only going to the Deputy CM to ask for a ticket, he should have stayed in Jawainiya village and seen the suffering of the people. Referring to the area being the maternal uncle's village of the BJP leader, he said that he should pay special attention to his maternal uncle's village, "Ticket is an afterthought." MLA Rahul Tiwari also mentioned his initiative on the illegal mining of white sand in Jawainia. He said that as soon as he came to know about this illegal mining, he immediately stopped it. This work was so difficult that even taking a video was not easy, but somehow he sent a boy and collected video evidence. He said that he talked to Bahoranpur police station to know on what authority they are allowing sand to be taken. The police station said that they have received a paper from the mining department. The MLA raised the question that when the rule is that the Ganga belt cannot be dug more than 3 feet, then how was the Poklane machine being used. He said that a wrong paper was prepared in connivance with the mining department and given to the police station, through which sand was being extracted. Even the District Magistrate was not aware of this. The MLA said that he spoke to the District Magistrate, after which it was found wrong in the investigation and the mining work was stopped. He stressed that he never compromised on his duty and fulfilled his responsibility completely. He blamed the mining department somewhere and said that it is a matter of investigation, but he got it stopped.

When asked whether politics is being done on Jawainia village erosion in view of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections and he is being targeted? So the MLA said that if everyone works together now, then it will give strength It will increase.

He appealed not to do politics on matters like running langar and said that this is a simple work of the Mukhiya and Ward, for which they are capable. He said that the leaders should put pressure on the government and the district administration so that the shortage is met and the needy get more help, and not do politics on where the langar will be run.