Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav. File photo
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The Bihar government has tightened rules on treasury withdrawals exceeding ₹1 crore, making prior approval mandatory. Following the decision, the Opposition has alleged that the state exchequer has run dry. The ruling side, however, has dismissed the claims as baseless.
General secretary and MLA of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Ranvijay Sahu, accused the government of reckless spending, claiming that funds were distributed to women to win elections, leaving the treasury depleted. He alleged that the Bihar government is facing a severe financial crisis and claimed there is not enough money even to pay salaries to government employees.
“The government has gone bankrupt. The treasury is empty, development work has come to a halt, and the administration has failed. Money was squandered to remain in power. There are no funds to pay employees, and people are crying out in distress,” he said.
The ruling side rejected the allegations. Leader of the RLM legislative party, Madhav Anand, said the government’s financial position is sound and that employees are receiving their salaries on time. He said the Opposition routinely makes such allegations and added that Bihar has a “double-engine government”, with support from the Centre, ensuring there will be no financial difficulties.
“What do you expect from the Opposition? Which department’s salaries have been stopped today?” he asked. He added that ₹2 lakh would be provided to *Jeevika Didis* to promote livelihoods, employment generation is continuing, and recruitment will take place in the education and health departments. “The Opposition lacks understanding and is therefore making such childish statements,” he said.
Madhav Anand also reiterated the need to review prohibition, saying it could help prevent losses to the state. He expressed confidence that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has taken sound decisions in the past, would take an appropriate call on the issue as well.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government has tightened financial withdrawals ahead of the March closing of the 2025–26 financial year. The Finance Department has fixed deadlines for submitting treasury bills: all bills up to January 2026 must be submitted by February 28; bills up to February 2026 by March 15; and bills for March by March 20. The move has triggered renewed questions from the Opposition about an alleged financial crunch.
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