Patna: Prashant Kishor has alleged that Bihar’s deputy chief minister, Samrat Chaudhary, concealed his past involvement in a 1998 murder case and misrepresented his educational qualifications, raising questions over the BJP leader’s political credibility ahead of the assembly polls.
Speaking at a public interaction, Kishor claimed that Chaudhary – then known as Samrat Kumar Maurya – was accused of carrying out a bombing attack on Congress leader Sadanand Singh that killed six people. He alleged Chaudhary was jailed but released after six months on the grounds that he was a minor at the time.
Kishor argued that this information was significant for voters who back the BJP and NDA on the basis of what he described as their “clean image.”
He also raised doubts over Chaudhary’s educational record, citing court filings and affidavits. According to Kishor, Chaudhary declared himself a seventh-grade pass in a 2010 affidavit, which matched details submitted to the Supreme Court earlier. Kishor further claimed that Chaudhary failed his matriculation exam, with documents showing he scored 234 marks.
Allegations have also surfaced about Chaudhary’s changing identity over time, with references to names including Samrat Kumar Maurya and Rakesh Kumar. Reports suggest his ministerial career once faced a setback due to disputes over his age and qualifications.
Kishor, addressing Bihar’s youth, asked: “The deputy chief minister must come clean and tell us when he actually passed matriculation. Journalists should press him on this.”
Chaudhary himself has not issued a direct response, but his party maintains that Kishor’s remarks are an attempt to distract from what it calls the NDA government’s developmental achievements under Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi.
