Advani had alleged that the Rabri ministry "protects, promotes and patronises crime" in the state.

"It is an extremely serious charge levelled against a state government by an irresponsible, biased and prejudiced Home Minister like Advani," Laloo told a press conference here on Sunday.

The JPC should also go into the ongoing internecine conflicts among ultra-Left organisations and the Ranvir Sena which he said was responsible for triggering massacres of "innocent" people in the state.

Claiming that the Rabri Devi ministry was irrevocably committed to bring to book the culprits involved in the carnages, Laloo said "search squads" led by Additional Director General of Police (Operation) Baljit Singh, was constituted for camping in Jehanabad and other districts in central Bihar to flush outextremists "within a month".

The search squads, the RJD leader said would also comprise three officers of the superintendent of police rank which would be "on wheels" to identify extremists of the banned Maoist Communist Centre, Peoples' War Group and the Ranvir Sena.

Charging BJP-Samata combine with "indulging in dirty politics" to defame Bihar, the RJD president said extremism in central-south Bihar had spread like a "chronic disease".

He, however, dismissed the possibility of the existence of problems relating to land reforms which could have forced the ultras "to take law in their own hands".

He appealed to "willing" saner elements to join the mainstream for which the state government was ready to hold "meaningful and positive" dialogues.

At the same time, Laloo said the state government would never shirk from its responsibility in protecting the lives and property of people.

He said he along with the chief minister would undertake an "intensive" padyatra in extremist-infested areas from nextweek to instill confidence among the people against naxal outfits.

Laloo appealed to leaders of political parties excluding those of BJP-Samata combine to join the proposed yatra.

Calling upon upper caste people (Bhumihar) to dissociate themselves from Ranvir Sena, Laloo said the "extremists should shun the path of violence as they will not be able to match the state machinery."

Referring to Advani's statement in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday that the Bihar government "protects, promotes and patronises crime", he said "such a statement is aimed at garnering the votes of a particular community (Bhumihar) and alienate such voters from Congress."

The RJD president said the chief minister had already made it clear that the district magistrates and police superintendents would be "directly held responsible" for recurrence of violence.

Stating that the state government had not effected any change in the administrative set-up which existed during the President's Rule for 25 days in Bihar, he said stepswere afoot to help "further tone up" the state machinery in Bihar.