Patna: A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has ignited a political storm in Bihar, with opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav alleging a massive financial irregularity, while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has firmly rejected the claims, countering that the figures largely relate to Tejashwi’s own time in government.
According to the CAG report, as of March 31,2024 the Bihar government had not received utilisation certificates (UCs) for Rs 70,877.61 crore and had failed to provide detailed contingent (DC) bills worth Rs 9,205.76 crore despite repeated reminders. These unaccounted sums, dating back several financial years, have prompted opposition leaders to accuse the government of large-scale embezzlement.
At a press conference on Wednesday, RJD leader and former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said the silence of the state government “suggests irregularities”, claiming that nearly Rs 80,000 crore had gone unaccounted for. “This is not a small sum,” he said. “One engine of this so-called double engine government is neck-deep in crime, the other in corruption.”
Yadav also criticised investigative agencies like the CBI and ED, accusing them of functioning as “cells of the BJP”, and vowed to take the issue to the public if the government failed to respond.
In a sharp rebuttal, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, accused Yadav of spreading misinformation. “Delay in submitting bills does not equate to a scam,” Choudhary said. “If there is any scam, it stems from the period when Tejashwi was Deputy Chief Minister.”
He added that the Finance Department’s Principal Secretary had clarified that 2024 saw the lowest number of pending UCs in five years, and that Rs 50,000 crore worth of bills had been adjusted in the last four months alone. “This is a continuous process, not an instance of financial wrongdoing,” he asserted.
Choudhary further noted that the Public Accounts Committee, which examines CAG reports, is currently chaired by RJD MLA Bhai Virendra, and was previously led by another RJD member, Lalit Yadav. “Tejashwi is, in fact, questioning his own party’s oversight,” he said.
