Patna: Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, leader of the opposition in Bihar, launched a scathing attack on chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday, branding him the “Dhritarashtra of corruption” and accusing the ruling “double‑engine” government of attempting to buy votes ahead of elections. Speaking at a press conference in Patna, Yadav criticised the state’s fiscal management, governance record, and alleged widespread corruption among officials.
Opening with Navratri greetings, Yadav turned swiftly to financial and policy critiques. Highlighting Bihar’s budget of Rs 3.17 lakh crore, alongside supplementary allocations of Rs 51,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore, he questioned where funds for new schemes would come from, claiming that much of the budget was already committed. He said announcements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar — amounting to over Rs 7 lakh crore — were electoral theatrics designed to mislead voters.
Yadav also targeted the government’s women‑focused welfare schemes, ridiculing a one-time payment of Rs 10,000 as tokenistic. “If you calculate it over 20 years, that’s only about Rs 1 per day,” he said, promising that an RJD government would deposit Rs 2,500 into the accounts of mothers and sisters, a measure he said would genuinely empower women.
Corruption allegations featured prominently. Yadav claimed that large sums of cash and unaccounted assets had been recovered from officials’ homes without action being taken. He warned that his party would soon make public details of officials’ and politicians’ wealth, asserting that voters would ultimately hold the government accountable.
Describing Bihar as “sitting on a time bomb of corruption and unemployment,” Yadav concluded by declaring that the current administration was nearing its end. Analysts say such rhetoric is typical of pre-election campaigns, combining fiscal scrutiny with populist promises to mobilise voter sentiment.
