Patna: Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Friday made a frontal attack on chief minister Nitish Kumar, calling him "Dhritarashtra (mythological blind king in the epic Mahabharat)", one who has closed his eyes to corruption in the transfer of government officials.
"In June, Rs 200 crore was invested in the transfer industry," Tejashwi said in a statement on Friday. He alleged that BJP ministers were engaged in mass transfers. "The ministers fear that the conscience of the 'man' (Nitish) will make another U-turn and even the three-year tenure for an official will not be adhered to," said Tejashwi, stressing that BJP ministers had fixed the transfer rates.
He also said that officials who paid to get a transfer can be expected to loot people.
Road transport minister Nand Kishore Yadav called Tejashwi's statement immature and politically motivated. "Tejashwi Yadav has forgotten the era of his father and mother when transfers used to take place four months a year - May to June and November to December," he said.
"During those days, employees used to stay put in Patna, roaming around the secretariat to plead their case for postings of choice. It was after Nitish came to power that the practice was stopped and orders given to departments to effect transfers only in June. If any transfer takes place after June, it needs the chief minister's approval," he said.
He said transfers take place for administrative years. "If I feel an official is not working properly, I will transfer him before his tenure is complete," he stressed.
The JDU is furious over Tejashwi's statement. "Tejashwi was the deputy chief minister. He should first clarify how much he earned from transfer of officials in his departments. Transfers are a routine work in governance. It only reflects Tejashwi's limited knowledge in governance," said JDU spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar.
He said Tejashwi had no moral authority to speak on corruption, as he has been charged by the CBI and his father has been convicted.
Transfers and postings in Bihar have always been under the scanner. "It's an industry where people get transfers to postings of choice either because of their caste, political clout or money," said a retired IAS officer, stressing that Tejashwi's comment may not be off the mark.
"But the fact remains that it was true during the Lalu-Rabri regime too," he said, recalling that during the RJD days, the cabinet and state ministers used to clash over files related to transfers and many ministers had differences with their principal secretary over transfers.
