Saturday saw a sharp escalation in Bihar’s political climate when the Jan Suraj Party, during a press conference held at its Patna office, launched a strong attack on the state’s new Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary. Party leaders raised several serious questions regarding the Chief Minister’s educational qualifications, the law-and-order situation, and alleged issues related to his past.
Addressing the press conference, State President Manoj Bharti said that the leadership situation in Bihar is deeply concerning. He alleged that the face on which the elections were fought was removed from power within just six months, and now the state has been handed over to a person whose educational background itself is unclear. He remarked, “In Bihar, the land of knowledge, the Chief Minister today is someone whose educational qualifications are not clearly known.”
He also raised concerns over the state’s financial condition and administrative functioning, claiming that in more than half of the districts, government employees are not receiving their salaries on time, reflecting the poor state of the treasury. He further alleged that even during his tenure as Home Minister, there was no reduction in crime, exposing administrative failure.
Government under fire over NEET student case
Manoj Bharti referred to the recent NEET student case and said that the accused getting bail immediately after the Chief Minister assumed office raises serious questions. Calling it insensitivity on the part of the government, he said that such situations weaken public trust. He also cited recent rape incidents in Muzaffarpur and Kishanganj to express concern over law and order.
1999 case resurfaces
At the press conference, National Spokesperson Kumar Saurav brought up an old case related to the Chief Minister’s past. He claimed that in 1999, then Governor ordered the dismissal of Rakesh Kumar (now known as Samrat Choudhary) from the post of minister. He emphasized that this action was taken not by any political party or government, but directly by the Raj Bhavan.
Kumar Saurav alleged that the action at the time was based on discrepancies in name, age, and date of birth, and that there were also directions to register an FIR. He said that a committee report had mentioned these facts, highlighting significant differences in age across various documents.
He added, “These are not political allegations, but facts recorded in Raj Bhavan documents. The question is whether it is appropriate to entrust the leadership of the state to such a person.”
Questions raised on central leadership
Jan Suraj leaders also raised questions about the top leadership of the central government. They stated that the issue is not limited to the state level but also concerns accountability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Other party leaders, including Padma Ojha, Tariq Champarani, and Rekha Gupta, also criticized the policies and functioning of the state government during the press conference.
*Political atmosphere heats up
Following this press conference, political rhetoric in Bihar is expected to intensify further. It will now be crucial to see how the Chief Minister and the ruling party respond to these allegations.
