An Opposition member of Bihar Assembly talks to media
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Opposition legislators on Tuesday created an uproar in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, accusing the state government of reneging on promises made under the Chief Minister’s Women’s Employment Scheme and to poor families identified through the caste survey.
Members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties staged a prolonged protest in the Assembly portico, holding placards and raising slogans. They alleged that the government had promised ₹2 lakh per beneficiary under the Chief Minister’s Women’s Employment Scheme but had failed to disburse the amount so far.
The Opposition further claimed that the caste-based survey had identified 94 lakh poor families, each of whom was assured financial assistance of ₹2 lakh. However, they alleged that the promised funds have not reached the beneficiaries. Terming this a clear breach of assurances, Opposition members continued their sloganeering for a considerable time.
RJD MLA Ranvijay Sahu said that while the government speaks of women’s empowerment, Bihar continues to witness the highest incidence of crimes against women. “Women were promised ₹2 lakh, but only ₹10,000 was given at the time of elections to secure their votes. Now even the promised amount is being denied. We will not let this issue go,” he said.
He added that the government had made a statement on the floor of the House assuring ₹2 lakh for providing employment to women, but Chief Minister **Nitish Kumar** was repeatedly backtracking on his commitments. “Atrocities against women are rising, and the Chief Minister remains a mute spectator,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurabh said that the Opposition would not allow the government to go back on its election-time promises. He recalled that when the caste survey report was tabled in the House, the government had made concrete announcements, including financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each to 94 lakh poor families with a monthly income below ₹6,000. “So far, only 40,000 families have received merely ₹50,000,” he claimed.
Saurabh also raised the issue of increasing the reservation cap in the state, noting that several states have expanded reservations beyond 50 per cent. “If Parliament permits reservation above 50 per cent, it should be placed in the Ninth Schedule, as has been done in Tamil Nadu. But none of these promises are being fulfilled,” he said.
Questioning the state’s financial management, he asked who was responsible if the treasury was empty. “If money has vanished, someone must have taken it. Who is it?” he asked, alleging that a sum of ₹70,000 crore was unaccounted for.
The financial functioning of the Bihar government has also come under scrutiny in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, which flagged that utilisation certificates amounting to ₹70,877.61 crore were not submitted on time, he said.
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