Corruption, crime two real engines of '€˜double engine'€™ govt in Bihar: Cong

Patna, Sep 24 (PTI) Terming the NDA government in Bihar "note chor", the Congress on Wednesday said corruption and crime have proven to be the two real engines of the so-called "double engine sarkaar" in the state.

Addressing a press conference after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Sadaqat Ashram, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the countdown for the NDA government has begun and a Mahagathbandhan government will come to power in Bihar in two months' time.

Ramesh recalled that a CWC meeting was held in Telangana before the assembly polls there and a Congress government was formed a few months later, which he said would be repeated here.

The CWC passed two resolutions -“ one political and the other an appeal to voters of Bihar. The meeting here was chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot, and Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, among others.

In its appeal to voters, the CWC said, "The Indian National Congress has played a pivotal role in shaping Bihar's industrial, infrastructural, and social landscape. Under its leadership, Bihar witnessed landmark projects such as Asia's largest rail yard at Garhara, India's first fertilizer factory in Sindri, the Barauni Refinery, the Navinagar Thermal Power Plant, and the Damodar Valley Project, alongside major river-valley and flood-control initiatives like the Koshi project." The establishment of the Nabinagar Thermal Power Plant was a landmark in Bihar's industrial development, and the 33 sugar mills across the state provided employment to lakhs of Biharis, it said.

Equally revolutionary were the Congress's efforts in advancing social justice and education, the appeal said.

Congress's contribution to Bihar remains a legacy of progress, reform, and inclusivity, it added.

"Today, the journey which Bihar began under the INC's leadership '“ towards becoming a prosperous, fully democratic and egalitarian society - is under unprecedented threat," the appeal read.

Hailing Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his Voter Adhikar Yatra, the CWC said the Yatra carried a clear message to every village and every street of Bihar that unless each citizen's vote is protected, their rights, their future and, by extension, that of democracy can never be secure.

"This struggle was strengthened with the unprecedented response and participation of the people of Bihar," it said.

The resolution claimed that the people of Bihar have been pushed to the streets in anger and defiance also because of "Nitish Kumar's broken promises and betrayals".

"In his 20 years as the CM of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has done too little to empower the people of Bihar. Sugar output which was once 27% has collapsed to mere 3% while industrial development has been abysmal. Only 33% of the capital requirements are fulfilled within the state - leaving Bihar dependent on the Centre and development banks and loans," the CWC said.

This debt-vulnerability has only further impoverished the state, it said.

"Especially since the JD(U)'s unholy alliance with the BJP, corruption and crime have proved to be the two real engines of the so-called 'double engine sarkaar'. The government is a 'note chor' is evident in the CAG's findings of 49,649 pending utilisation certificates in Bihar that amount to a staggering Rs 70,877 crore. To call it corruption would be an understatement," the CWC said.

"It is organised loot, a daylight dacoity by a regime that has fattened itself while bleeding the people dry. Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Corruption scams worth hundreds of crores have surfaced around Nitish Kumar's closest aide," the Congress alleged.

Raid on his officials throws up shocking scenes with crores hidden in water tanks, stuffed into toilet pipes, even half-burnt bundles of cash destroyed in panic, the CWC said.

"Simultaneously, while crores of common Biharis are struggling on the streets - hungry, homeless and landless -“ the NDA government has leased over a thousand acres of land in Bhagalpur to its crony benefactor, Adani at the rate of Rs 1 per acre per year for a power project," it alleged.

In carrying out this project, the government did not consult or seek the consent of the farmers whose land is being snatched, the CWC alleged.

"Beyond the PR optics of the PM's trip to Bihar, the truth is undeniable: NDA is not just Vote Chor, but also Zameen Chor. This Zameen Chor government has unleashed fear and chaos through the Bihar Land Survey 2025 (BLS) just as it created panic through Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls," the CWC said.

From the aspirants of the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC) and the Central Selection Board of Constable (CSBC) who had gathered in large numbers to protest in Patna, demanding greater transparency, fairness, and accountability in the examination and recruitment processes, to TRE-4 candidates protesting against the government's betrayal of its promise of one lakh teaching posts, young Biharis have taken to the streets in despair and anger, the party said.

Instead of listening to their grievances, the NDA regime unleashed brutal lathicharge, it claimed.

"When contractual land surveyors demanded regularisation and pay parity, 16 of them were suspended. Those protesting against their suspension were lathicharged. The same police force that is ever eager to wield the lathi against students, vanishes when it comes to protecting citizens. Broad daylight murders across Bihar lay bare the total collapse of law and order," it alleged.

This is the lived reality of Bihar today where those who dare to demand transparency, accountability, and opportunity are met not with reform, but with repression, the CWC said in its appeal to the voters.

The Congress Working Committee said it makes a direct appeal to the people of Bihar to recognize the power of their vote.

"The Indian National Congress promises to continue the struggle, both inside Parliament and on the streets. This fight is for the protection of our fundamental constitutional rights, for reservations and social justice, and for ensuring fair delivery of welfare benefits to every citizen of Bihar as well as India," the CWC said.

Elections are due in Bihar around November this year. PTI ASK ZMN