Patna, June 29: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today said he was prepared to "get assaulted but would not let corruption strive" in the state as long as he was around.
Reminding industrialists that the Udyami Panchayat today was the last before Bihar goes to polls, Nitish expressed his disappointment that people were threatening to beat him up black and blue but firmly said that any kind of malpractice and corruption would not be tolerated and those involved in it would have to pay each and every penny.
"There are people who have threatened that mera kaleja thod denge (they will break my liver and ribs). They can very well do it but corruption will not be tolerated. Pai pai ka hisaab dena padega (They will have to pay for each and every penny). I am not the owner but the trustee of the state exchequer. One should realise that coffers do not have pockets," Nitish said at the gathering of around 200 industrialists from different districts.
Last Saturday, Arun Kumar, state president, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), said he would shatter Nitish's chest bones if he targeted people of a particular caste. "We are not wearing bangles and will teach him (Nitish) a bitter lesson. Chhaati toh denge (we will shatter his chest bones)," Arun Kumar, a Bhumihar by caste, said while reacting to the arrest of JDU Mokama MLA Anant Singh.
While Nitish did not name Arun, he vented his statement on some rice mill owners who were engaged in corrupt practices. "They (rice mill owners) should mend their ways and there should not be any hanky-panky practices," Nitish added.
The state government had been hit by a loss of around Rs 500 crore in 2011-12 alone after the mill owners did not deposit government rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns on behalf of the state food corporation. It had been alleged that they had sold off the rice privately in connivance with some state government officials with the state exchequer allegedly was hit by a loss of Rs 4,000 crore in the past five years.
With the Udyami Panchayat today witnessing the participation of all cabinet ministers and secretaries, Nitish targeted the Opposition accusing them of being double standard.
"It is a fact that the power scenario in the state has improved. They (opposition) praise it behind closed doors. But then out in the open, they tend to criticise. I am amazed by their act as I have always been transparent and thanked the Centre if they have done anything good for Bihar," Nitish said.
Sources said today's Udyami Panchayat was important for Nitish. "The business community mainly supports the BJP. Nitish today tried to change this notion. The first move he made was to invite businessmen from every district - something done for the first time in an Udyami Panchayat. Then, he made sure that all his cabinet colleagues were there and visible to them and so were the department secretaries. Thirdly, the event ran from 10.30am until almost 3pm. By splashing his entire cabinet in the event, he came up with a message that his government was pro-businessmen," a source in the state government said.
