Nitish govt making promises ahead of elections it can't fulfil, claims Prashant Kishor's party

Patna, Sep 23 (PTI) Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party on Tuesday charged the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar of announcing "financially imprudent freebies" in the run-up to assembly elections.

Party spokesperson Pavan K Varma said freebies, totalling around Rs 33,000 crore, will significantly burden the exchequer.

Speaking to reporters, he claimed the state government's outstanding debt is already Rs 4,06,476 crore.

"The irresponsible NDA government in Bihar is making promises it is incapable of fulfilling," he claimed, describing it as an "act of deceiving people".

"In the democracy envisioned by our Constitution, in place of working for five years, the government is distributing freebies as a damage control measure," he added.

He urged the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to take notice of the government's "reckless actions".

In reference to the Rs 100-crore legal notice against Kishor by JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary, Varma said, "It is a welcome development for him. Choudhary did not have any other option than this face-saving move. He, definitely, could not have remained silent." He added that if Chaudhary had any fact-based counter to the allegations, he, too, would have held a press conference and issued clarifications.

Varma claimed that Kishor has all the documents and proofs to support his allegations, adding that "this is just a starter... more bombs will explode in due course".

He emphasised that Jan Suraaj's target is not "individual corruption" but a more embedded "systematic corruption".

"Nitish Kumar does not have control over his cabinet anymore. His personality has undergone a sea change. He once was a person of sharp intellect and principles, but now, taking advantage of his poor health, his associates and ministers are misusing his power to facilitate corruption," Varma alleged. PTI SKS SOM