Patna: RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday accused the NDA govt of shielding corruption and failing to act against those allegedly involved in irregularities in govt tenders, while the JD(U) dismissed the allegations as an attempt to malign Bihar and defended the state’s financial management.Addressing a press conference in Patna, Tejashwi said despite the govt’s claim of following a “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption, action had been limited to “petty officials” even as larger scandals continued to surface. He also sought answers to 20 issues that, according to him, were troubling the people of Bihar.Raising the alleged tender scam, he questioned the role of the state govt. “How was a small-time contractor Rishu Shri managing tenders across multiple departments at his own discretion? What was the govt’s oversight mechanism doing all these years? Or was everything being overlooked by officials for personal gain?” Tejashwi asked.Questioning the govt’s silence over the alleged scam, he said, “Every time a major scam is exposed, a few small-time clerks or employees get arrested but the powerful, influential, and beneficiary individuals go unpunished.”Alleging that Bihar was facing a severe financial crisis and an anarchy-like situation, Tejashwi said, “Bihar’s financial condition has deteriorated. Scams are taking place, revenue collection is declining, the fiscal deficit is increasing, state’s debt is rising, and interest payments are mounting. Due to unchecked corruption and hollow, short-sighted policies, Bihar has reached the verge of bankruptcy.”Presenting what he described as a grim picture of the state’s economy, he added, “There is no money to pay employees’ salaries, provide scholarships to students, or make payments to pensioners and farmers because the government’s treasury has been emptied.”Rejecting the allegations, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar accused Tejashwi of presenting a negative image of Bihar. “The state govt holds the right to withdraw money from the contingency fund. If we have raised the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100, obviously the state expenses will go up,” Kumar said.He also asked Tejashwi not to “give lecture on corruption”, saying people still remembered how officials had withdrawn amounts far exceeding the budgetary allocation for the animal husbandry department during the RJD regime.
