RJD MP accuses top officials in Bihar of financial fraud

Patna, Mar 7 (PTI) RJD MP Sudhaker Singh on Friday alleged that two top officials in Bihar, both close confidants of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, were guilty of a "scam" that involved "crores of rupees" and betrayed a "nexus between a private company and an NGO".

In a statement issued here, the Buxar MP said he will "submit memorandums" before the Prime Minister's Office, CAG, Lokpal and Parliament, highlighting the alleged irregularities and "conflict of interest".

Singh has smelt a rat in the announcement, in the state budget presented earlier this week, of a "Rs 25 crore Bihar Green Development Fund".

He alleged that the fund was being created "with the sole aim of providing benefits to Bodhi Centre for Sustainable Growth Pvt Ltd", a company set up "just two and a half months ago".

"The company is owned by Isha Verma, whose father Deepak Kumar is the chief minister's principal secretary. Besides, the state's Principal Secretary (Finance) Anand Kishor is married to Deepak Kumar's sister," claimed the RJD MP.

He alleged that the company had been awarded the contract "bypassing the due process" and insisted that "even if there was a tender, Kishor should have rejected it in view of conflict of interest".

Singh also said that "the scam has been going on for a few years", pointing out that in 2023, the finance department awarded a consultancy contract to the NGO World Resources Institute, the then employer of Verma.

"The WRI has been paid crores, as evident from the records of the finance department. Verma used to attend government meetings as a representative of the NGO," alleged Singh.

Neither Verma nor the two officials, including her father, who retired as Chief Secretary of Bihar four years ago, have responded to the allegations.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should sack both the officers on this count. If he does not do so, it shall be deemed that he too is involved in the scam," alleged the former Bihar minister, who was made to resign in 2022 by his party because of relentless attacks on the JD(U) president.

Calling Verma "the biggest beneficiary of the latest state budget", Singh also shared a copy of a letter he has shot off to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing attention to the alleged irregularities. PTI NAC SBN SBN

Source: PTI