Patna, Feb. 23: Abdul Bari Siddiqui, leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, today questioned the state government’s claim of growth, better law and order condition and campaign against corruption. He also accused the government of promoting IAS officers on deputation in Bihar at the cost of their state cadre counterparts.
“Royal blood” was the word that Siddiqui described as the criteria the government had adopted in selecting Patna district magistrates (DMs).
A source said he was apparently referening to two Patna DMs in succession serving in the state on deputation and incidentally belonging to the caste of chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Siddiqui, while participating in the thanks giving motion on the governor’s address to the joint session of the legislature yesterday, pointed out several discrepancies in the figures about growth, expenditure and infrastructure building between Devanand Konwar’s earlier speeches and the present one.
Amidst interruption from the treasury benches, Siddiqui claimed that the law and order situation in the state has not improved, as claimed by the government. He named about a dozen traders who were killed, assaulted or kidnapped by the criminals during the Nitish-led NDA rule.
Accusing the chief minister of living in the hangover of the brute majority, Sidiqui pointed out that Nitish’s secretariat has not even taken notice of several letters on important issues that he highlighted in his letter.
“The chief minister’s office did not even acknowledge my letters on the issue of the hurdles in the way of setting up the electric power plant at Navinagar in Aurangabad and murder of BJP MLA from Purnea, Rajkishore Keshari not to speak of taking action on them,” he said.
He also pulled up deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi for “misinterpreting” the figure of 11.03 per cent of state’s growth as shown in the report of Central Statistics Organisation (CSO).
He also accused the state government of making a “mockery” of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggesting 10-point programme for the mission of Bihar’s prosperity, in his address to the joint session of the state legislature in March 2006.
Kalam had suggested the formula to bring down the rate of poverty and illiteracy, and ensuring overall development of the state within the next five years.
Setu barb at Centre
The state government today described the Centre’s non-cooperation as the reason behind the delay in “comprehensive rehabilitation” of Mahatma Gandhi Setu on the river Ganga, which is a lifeline between north and south Bihar.
Replying to a short notice question by RJD member Lalit Yadav on the issue during the pre-lunch session of the state Assembly, the minister for road construction, Nandkishore Yadav, said: “The Centre has been sitting on Rs 167.13 crore complete rehabilitation package for the bridge, which the state government had recommended on the basis of the proposal made by the Union ministry of transport and highways.”
“I will like the chief minister to apprise the House with the steps he had taken to implement Kalam’s suggestions,” said Siddiqui.
Sidiqui said asking officials to declare their assets was hardly sufficient to win the battle against corruption for there were many easy ways to conceal the ill-gotten property in the declaration.
“The better solution is to call the registration officials and builders to find out about the actual quantum of money the officials had invested in buying lands and flats,” he said.
Without naming anyone, Sidiqui pointed out that there were many senior officials who were running non-governmental organisations in the name of their wives and drawing fund from the government in name of doing one work or other.