PATNA, July 27 -- Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday expressed "regret" over having to support the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar, accusing it of having "surrendered" before criminals and triggering a sharp reaction from Kumar's Janata Dal (United), which asked the LJP (Ram Vilas) president to "first ensure that his own party does not induct those with criminal antecedents". The Hajipur MP, who led to the JD(U)'s tally to crash in the 2020 assembly polls by fielding candidates of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in all seats contested by the CM's party, made the comments while speaking to reporters after a rally in Gayaji where the report of a gang rape has triggered outrage. "The incident is deplorable. The accused may have been caught, but the fact remains that the administration is unable to prevent such crimes from occurring. It appears that the police have surrendered (natmastak) before criminals," Paswan said. "I regret having to support a government which is unable to prevent such crimes. We should think of the trauma the victims of such incidents have to undergo. The situation has, indeed, become scary," he said. Paswan, whose party has, incidentally, no representative in the state's bicameral legislature, continued with his tirade at the rally, where he said "crime was unacceptable in the 1990s, when the state was under RJD's rule, and it should be unacceptable even now". "I promise you that crime will be struck at the very roots and criminals will be behind bars after the assembly polls, with a new government in place which will work on my motto of Bihar first, Bihari first," he said. "I promise to give you a new Bihar. But I cannot do anything on my own. All my supporters must fan out across the state and work with an intensity that should give the impression that it is Chirag Paswan himself who is contesting elections everywhere," he added. Earlier, Paswan announced that he will contest the Bihar assembly polls. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad came out with a strongly worded statement on Paswan's comments. "Those too concerned about law and order in the state would do well to first ensure that they do not induct people with criminal antecedents in their party," he said. The allusion was to the LJP, founded by Paswan's late father Ram Vilas Paswan, which was often criticised for having a high number of history-sheeters in its ranks. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav agreed with Paswan's about crime "increasing significantly". However, he said that Paswan is also "part of the government" that has failed to curb crime. State Congress president Rajesh Kumar alleged, "The incident at Gayaji is reflective of a collapse in law and order, which is not surprising given the unruly behaviour of the ruling dispensation as witnessed in the recently held assembly session. Our party is committed to ensuring that the girl gets justice."...