PATNA: Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) on Monday claimed to have cracked a conspiracy during the floor test of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on February 12 this year.
EOU officials claimed that there was an attempt to allegedly buy JD (U) MLAs to topple the NDA government during the trust vote.
The EOU's investigation revealed that some MLAs also received advance payments to vote against the NDA government by shifting their loyalty to the RJD-led grand alliance.
The conspiracy reportedly involved individuals from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Nepal. It is also alleged that the MLAs would have received the full payment through hawala transactions across different states had the government lost the trust vote.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), EOU, Manavjeet Singh Dhillon said that the police uncovered evidence of a money trail connected to the alleged horse-trading attempt. The payments were allegedly made to ensure that these MLAs would support the Opposition—Grand Alliance (GA), which could have led to the fall of the NDA government.
The EOU has submitted its findings to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for further investigation into potential money laundering activities. The ED is likely to take up further investigation on the recommendation of the state police, sources in the police headquarters said.
On February 11, JD (MLA) from Harlakhi in Madhubani Sudhanshu Shekhar had lodged an FIR against a party colleague at Kotwali police station, alleging he was offered a bribe of Rs 10 crore and a ministerial berth for switching over to the RJD-led grand alliance ahead of the trust vote. Shekhar had named party colleague and MLA Sanjeev Kumar in the FIR.
He had lodged a formal complaint with the Kotwali police station in the state capital, alleging the kidnapping of two fellow MLAs and the offer of a Rs 10 crore inducement as part of a plot to buy votes. Shekhar's complaint specifically accused MLAs Bima Bharti and Dilip Rai of being kidnapped.
On the day of the floor test, three JD (U) MLAs including Bima Bharti reached the assembly late and were unable to participate in the Speaker's election, prompting the NDA government to probe the matter thoroughly. The case was handed over to the EOU for a thorough investigation.
The investigation is still going on and the EOU’s revelations highlight a serious attempt to manipulate the political process in Bihar. If the accusations are proven, it would further deepen political tensions in the state, raising questions about the influence of external forces in the state’s governance.