Patna: Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishore has made startling accusations against Bihar’s Health Minister Mangal Pandey and BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, raising questions over alleged corruption and financial impropriety. Kishore disclosed these claims at a press conference held in Patna.
Kishore alleged a close nexus between Pandey and Jaiswal, accusing the two of financial misconduct during the Covid-19 pandemic. He claimed that in 2020, amid widespread public distress due to the pandemic, Pandey purchased a flat in Dwarka, Delhi, valued at Rs 86 lakh, with assistance from Jaiswal. Further, Kishore said Pandey’s father, Awadhesh Pandey, transferred Rs 30 lakh to Pandey’s wife Urmila’s account purportedly to aid the property purchase.
Highlighting discrepancies in Pandey’s 2020 affidavit, Kishore said the Health Minister did not declare any loan related to this transaction. He further accused Pandey of extorting money not only from doctors and vendors but also allegedly receiving bribes from Jaiswal, who owns a medical college. Kishore asserted that following the alleged financial transaction, Pandey facilitated the elevation of Jaiswal’s medical college to deemed university status.
Kishore also alleged large-scale irregularities in Bihar’s ambulance procurement process. According to him, a tender floated by the Bihar health department in February 2022 for purchasing 1,250 ambulances worth Rs 200 crore resulted in the purchase of only 466 Type C ambulances at inflated prices. He cited that the cost of each ambulance was Rs 19.58 lakh, whereas a subsequent purchase on April 22 this year saw ambulances bought at Rs 28.47 lakh each, with Tata Motors excluded from the tender on technical grounds.
Kishore questioned the sharp discrepancy between Bihar’s ambulance prices and those in other states, suggesting possible corruption. “The market price of a Force Motors ambulance is Rs 19 lakh, yet Bihar government purchased it for Rs 28 lakh,” he said, calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.
