Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, has accused Bihar's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership of "serious irregularities" within the state's health department, a portfolio held by the party throughout its alliance with the NDA. Kishor alleged that the BJP leaders in the state are "more corrupt" than Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad.
Addressing a press conference, Kishor launched a direct attack on state Health Minister Mangal Pandey, who is also a former Bihar BJP president. Kishor accused Pandey of engaging in a "quid pro quo" with the current state unit chief, Dilip Jaiswal, whom Kishor has been targeting for some time.
Kishor claimed that the health department had ordered 1,200 ambulances at a price of around ₹28 lakh each, a cost he stated was nearly double what states like Odisha and Uttar Pradesh were paying. He further alleged that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandey purchased a flat in Delhi in his wife's name, with Jaiswal reportedly assisting in the transaction.
The BJP has dismissed these allegations as baseless.
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Kishor claimed that Pandey "showed his gratitude" by granting deemed university status to a medical college in Kishanganj, where Jaiswal allegedly has "huge stakes." Kishor went on to allege that Jaiswal transferred ₹25 lakh to Pandey's father's account on August 6, 2019, and that this money was used for the flat purchase. He further claimed that Jaiswal even signed as a witness on the flat's purchase document. Kishor questioned why, if this was a loan, Pandey failed to mention it in his election affidavit for the 2020 assembly polls under the category of an unsecured loan.
"BJP leaders in Bihar claim to be unblemished, but in reality, they are more corrupt than even RJD president Lalu Prasad, whom they like to attack over conviction in fodder scam cases and alleged involvement in railway scams," Kishor asserted.
He also brought up Prataya Amrit, the designated chief secretary, who was in charge of the health department when the ambulance contract was finalised. Kishor demanded that Amrit "needs to explain the reason behind finalising the deal to a particular firm at an exorbitant price."
Responding to Kishor's charges, Bihar BJP spokesperson Niraj Kumar told the media that the allegations were "baseless and far from reality," stating that the ₹25 lakh from Jaiswal was a loan to Pandey's father and had been repaid.
Kishor also referenced a recent court order in Rajasthan where another BJP leader and Bihar minister, Jibesh Mishra, was found guilty of involvement in the manufacture of spurious medicines. Kishor criticised the fact that Mishra remains in the Nitish Kumar cabinet despite the opposition's calls for his resignation. The court did not impose a prison sentence but placed the minister on probation.
Lastly, Kishor condemned the recent police action against students in Patna. "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may be unwell, yet a CM who lets boys be kicked by police personnel deserves no sympathy," he added.
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