Bihar government ‘gifts’ ovens to MLAs

Despite deepening financial crisis and agitation by teachers for salary, the state government led by Nitish Kumar and the education department showered legislators with expensive gifts. Though the Grand Secular Alliance government led by chief minister Nitish Kumar did not distinguish between members belonging to treasury and Opposition benches in distributing gifts, which included microwave ovens and suitcases, the Opposition members criticised him for wasting public money. Earlier, the government had given all members costly mobile phones.

The BJP leaders, after the day’s sitting, criticised the move saying that “while teachers of the state are not being paid salaries, the government is distributing expensive microwave ovens and suitcases to legislators.”

Referring to long pending dues of teachers, the BJP leaders attacked the Grand Secular Alliance government saying, “The issue, if ignored further, will prove disastrous. The government must not waste money on gifts and instead must address to the problems of teachers who have been demanding salaries.”

Besides distributing expensive microwave ovens and suitcases, the grand secular alliance government led by chief minister Kumar had distributed expensive mobile phones to all 243 legislators in November last year after it resumed office. According to sources, the estimated cost of gifts distributed among legislators is between Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakhs.

Justifying the government’s move by calling it an old custom, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav said, “Legislators in Bihar are economically not well off like other states so giving them items like ovens will only help them.”

Education minister Ashok Choudhary, peeved by Opposition attacks on the state government, said, “MLAs can use microwave ovens in their constituencies for heating up midday meal and linking everything with this issue of the state is not right. Items distributed among MLAs does not cost more than Rs 25-30 lakhs.”