Patna: A fresh controversy erupted in Darbhanga on Monday after an FIR was lodged against Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and three other Grand Alliance leaders over allegations of fraud linked to the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) ‘Mai Bahin Yojana’.
The complaint, filed by Gudiya Devi, a resident of Singhwada Nagar Panchayat, accuses Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav, former MLA Rishi Mishra, and former Congress candidate Maskur Ahmed Usmani of misleading women into parting with money and personal documents in exchange for promises of monthly cash benefits.
Devi alleged that she was approached at her home by individuals claiming to represent the scheme, who asked her and other women to submit their Aadhaar details, bank account numbers, mobile numbers, and Rs 200 each as a registration fee. In return, they were assured of receiving Rs 2,500 per month.
“When I informed my husband about it, he said we had been cheated,” Devi said in her statement to police. The FIR notes her allegation that senior leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav, were “behind the scheme”.
Basant Kumar, officer-in-charge of Singhwada police station, confirmed that a case had been registered. “Currently the matter is being investigated. Only after the truth of the allegations comes out will it be clear whether this scheme is fake or correct,” he said.
The incident came only hours after Tejashwi Yadav himself visited the same police station to lodge an FIR against BJP minister Jibesh Kumar over an alleged assault on a YouTuber.
The ‘Mai Bahin Yojana’, announced by the RJD as part of its election promises, pledges Rs 2,500 per month to women in Bihar. With assembly elections approaching, the scheme has been a centrepiece of the party’s outreach.
Police said investigations are under way and statements will be recorded to determine whether the complaint points to organised fraud or political misrepresentation.
