PATNA: Contracts worth Rs 53 crore to the relatives of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad in ‘Nal Jal Yojna’ (Tap Water Scheme) have opened the ‘watergate’ of attacks against CM Nitish Kumar.
In 2019, the contracts for the completion of works on Nal Jal Yojna were reportedly awarded to the close relatives of Prasad. It was under part-I of Nitish’s ambitious ‘7-Resolve’ (Saat Nischai Yojna) programme.
Now, the entire issue is being politicized. The opposition parties are firing salvos against the Nitish government. Amid the growing political outcries by the opposition against Deputy CM Prasad, the BJP has started discussions over the episode. After suffering a major loss of face, Nitish has taken the matter seriously.
On Thursday, Tejashwi Yadav, in a hurriedly called press conference, asked Nitish to step down from the chair. “Will now Nitishji resign after the disclosure of the contracts obtained by the relatives of Deputy CM Prasad in the Nal-Jal Yojna? He won’t step down because he has surrendered before the BJP and corruption.”
Yadav alleged that the Har Ghar Nal Jal scheme had actually become a private money earning ‘yojana’. “This scheme has crossed all the heights of corruption with the contracts having been awarded to the relatives of Deputy CM Prasad.”