Chirag Paswan hits out at ally Nitish Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Bihar government is facing criticism from within the ruling alliance. On Friday, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan expressed unhappiness over the Nitish Kumar-led government not being able to provide the list of new beneficiaries of ration card to the Centre.

“Despite regular efforts by the central government, the state government hasn’t sent the list,” Paswan told ET. “I would appeal to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to send the list as soon as possible to provide them the benefits.”

The comments came a day after his father, Union food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan had tweeted saying that as per the National Food Security Act, there were about 1.45 million people in Bihar without a ration card who needed to be included to get free foodgrains amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He had requested the state government to send the list of such people so that they could also get benefits under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). However, the state government has yet to send the list.


Kumar’s JDU, however, termed Paswan junior’s comments a desperate move by the LJP. “We are already preparing the list and the number will be much more than 14.5 lakh,” said a state minister and senior JD U leader, who did not wish to be identified. “All other people are getting ration under different schemes. There is absolutely no reason to worry for anyone.”

Last month, Chirag Paswan had questioned the way the Nitish Kumar government had handled the migrant crisis and even gone to meet home minister Amit Shah.

In the past too, during his ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’ yatra, he had raised several questions on the efficacy of the state government.