Patna: If the fissures in Bihar NDA are anything to go by then the JDU-BJP government appears to have fast losing its steam. Both the JDU and BJP leaders have levelled serious charges on the functioning of the Nitish Kumar government.
On Thursday, Bihar social welfare department minister Madan Sahni threatened to resign alleging bureaucracy in the department, whereas BJP legislator Gyanendra Singh Gyanu has accused the minister of accepting bribes in the transfer posting of the officials.
BJP MLA Gyanu went one step ahead and alleged that if a raid would be conducted at the bungalow of the Bihar minister, crores of rupees would be found. Another BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur claimed that the condition of Bihar MLAs is even worse than a peon.
Bhushan went on to say that corruption prevails at block level in the state and officials don't even listen to the law makers. These three developments in the state have raised the serious question on the so-called rule of law in the state and inclusive growth which Nitish claims all the time.
This is not the first time Bihar NDA leaders have raised the finger on Nitish's government. Earlier, BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal too had raised his voice over poor law and order in the state.
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Jaiswal had charged the Bihar government for atrocities against the dalits by the police. He had also raised the issue of the soaring crime graph in the state on social media. Even several leaders of the BJP and JDU had also been engaged in verbal war quite often in the past.
Much recently after the blast in a madrassa at Banka district, BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur had issued a controversial remark alleging that madrassa are the hubs of the terrorists activities and demanded the closure of such institutions.
NDA partner and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi had slammed Thakur and asked him to change the mentality against the downtrodden people. Manjhi had said that if Muslims studies in the madrassa they are termed terrorist and if Dalits achieve success in their lives they are labelled as naxals.
Even BJP MLC Tunnaji Pandey had recently termed Nitish Kumar as CM of circumstances. Later, the party suspended him for making comments against the party line.
RJD spokesperson Anwar Hussain speaking over the issue said, “There is a lot of inner contradiction within the NDA government in Bihar. As things stand now, Nitish Kumar is a CM but put in a golden cage and he cannot do anything. There is nothing new when a minister alleges bureaucratic hurdles in the department. It's a fact because honest officers have been sidelined and corrupt ones are being promoted.”
Even Congress leaders too supported the allegation of the minister claiming that such things never used to happen at the time of erstwhile Lalu Prasad regime.
“Ever since Nitish Kumar is running the state, Bihar has witnessed the dictatorship of bureaucrats and bribery in lieu of transfer posting. I must say that Nitish ji has made four IAS officers super deputy CM of Bihar through them the game of money collection is being carried out. June has become the loot month for the Bihar government when transfer-posting is carried out on large scale in several departments,” said Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathod.
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However, speaking in defence of the NDA, BJP spokesperson Sanjay Tiger claimed that all is transparent in NDA and things are going on smoothly. He accused Lalu's regime and alleged that during his time, transfer-posting was like an industry in Bihar.
Political experts opined that the bitterness among the JDU and BJP leader will become harsh in days to come as dissatisfaction is increasing correspondingly day by day.
“The present scenario is the repercussion of dissatisfaction among the NDA leaders and it has gone to the extent of a minister and MLA exposing their own government loopholes. If the opposition would have raised the issue of bureaucracy hurdles in the department and bribery in transfer-posting then it would not have been a serious matter. However, when the ruling party is exposing their own government then certainly time has come for introspection for Nitish Kumar," Dr Sanjay said.
He further said, “Minister is the political executive head and it is the prerogative of CM to choose the minister or sack the minister. If a minister is saying this with a heavy heart that there is no meaning of remaining on the post of minister because only the secretary of the department takes the decision. There is no value of a minister then it's a serious issue. It is not only ministers getting resentment but also despair from their own system. The lawmakers accusing their own government of corruption is a serious matter of concern and in days to come. It will create trouble for the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar.”
