Rahul Gandhi Slams Nitish-BJP Alliance Over Patna Murder, Calls Bihar “India’s Crime Capital”

New Delhi: Following the brutal murder of businessman Gopal Khemka in Patna, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a scathing attack on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, accusing it of turning the state into “India’s crime capital.”

Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi wrote in Hindi, “The brazen murder of businessman Gopal Khemka in Patna has once again proven — the BJP and Nitish Kumar together have turned Bihar into India’s crime capital.”

Gandhi’s sharp remarks come just four months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, and amid growing outrage over deteriorating law and order in the state. He added, “Today, Bihar lives in the shadow of loot, gunfire, and murder. Crime has become the new normal here — and the government is utterly ineffective.”

Gopal Khemka, a well-known businessman and owner of Magadh Hospital, was shot dead on Friday night near his residence in the Gandhi Maidan area of Patna. According to police sources, Khemka was affiliated with the BJP, making the incident even more politically sensitive. His son, Gunjan Khemka, was also killed in a similar fashion in 2018 in Vaishali district — raising serious questions over repeated targeting of the family.

Rahul Gandhi further said, “A government that cannot ensure the safety of your children cannot be entrusted with your future either. Every murder, every loot, every bullet is a cry for change.”

Calling for a complete political shift in Bihar, he appealed to voters to reject the current regime. “Now is the time for a new Bihar — where there is no fear, only progress. This time, the vote is not just to change the government, but to save Bihar,” Gandhi posted.

The incident and its aftermath have given fresh ammunition to the Opposition. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, also weighed in, writing on X, “Massacre in Bihar! Six people shot in Siwan! Three died on the spot! Under the leadership of an unconscious Chief Minister, law and order have collapsed!”

The Nitish Kumar-BJP alliance, already under criticism for rising crime rates and economic stagnation, is now facing mounting pressure to respond as the issue takes centre stage in the election discourse.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been made yet in the Khemka murder case. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed, and the police have assured “swift action,” but public anger continues to grow — particularly as this is the second murder in the same family under similar circumstances.