Thursday, January 26 2006 16:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Virtually rejecting Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan's demand for recommending a CBI probe into the alleged involvement of Bihar Assembly Speaker Udai Narain Chaudhary in last year's killing of an LJP candidate during the Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today (Jan 26,2006) said that the case was politically motivated.

''The case is politically motivated the name of the Speaker is being dragged into it because he happens to be a dalit leader and some people are unable to stomach this,'' Kumar told reporters after the official Republic Day function at the Gandhi Maidan.

Kumar said that he had ascertained whether there was any involvement of Chaudhary in the killing of LJP candidate for Imamganj and former Lok Sabha member from Gaya Rajesh Kumar on January 23 during electioneering for the 13th Vidhan Sabha before giving a go-ahead for his appointment as Speaker.

''What were these votaries of President's Rule doing all these months.If they had sincerely desired to get the matter probed by the CBI, they could have easily done that under President's Rule, they are just unable to stomach the fact that a dalit has become the Speaker for the first time in the state's history,'' he said.

Chaudhary represents Imamganj in the state Assembly.

Paswan had on Monday threatened to launch an 'aggressive but non-violent agitation' if the Nitish Kumar Government did not recommend a CBI probe into the killing within a fortnight.

''We will launch an aggressive but non-violent agitation if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government does not recommend a CBI probe into the killing in which the name of Chaudhary has figured,'' Paswan, also a Union minister, had said.