‘Trouble engine’ govt: Tejashwi slams JD(U)-NDA coalition over Niti Aayog report

Yadav’s criticism of the government comes after a Niti Aayog report showed Bihar as the poorest state.

The leader of opposition in Bihar legislative assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday called the Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine ‘trouble engine’ government, attacking BJP's often-used phrase 'double-engine' government. He alleged that the government failed on all fronts.

RJD MLA Tejashwi Yadav speaking with media persons outside of Bihar Assembly during Winter Session in Patna, Bihar.  (Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times)

“Where does Bihar stand in the Niti Aayog report? It is at the number one position from the bottom. Whenever the CM is asked about it, he expresses his ignorance. This shows that the Bihar government is not serious about meeting the basic needs of the people. This is not a 'double engine' but a 'trouble engine' government in Bihar,” Yadav said.

Yadav’s criticism of the government comes after a Niti Aayog report showed Bihar as the poorest state.

“The Niti Aayog report shows the Bihar government as a failure on almost all indicators. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is running a corrupt government. There's corruption from top to bottom. Bihar stands first in unemployment, education system has been completely destroyed and health infrastructure in the state is in shambles,” Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He said that resentment was brewing among Bihar’s citizens due to the government’s alleged failures to stem ‘rampant corruption.’

Niti Aayog’s recently released National Multidimensional Poverty Index report says that 51.91% of Bihar’s population is poor.

Yadav also said that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that there were ‘glaring financial discrepancies’ in various departments of the Bihar government as well as ‘ irregularities and wasteful expenditure’. He said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal decided to hand over a copy of NITI Aayog and CAG reports to the chief minister Nitish Kumar. He said that the motive behind sharing it is due to the chief minister not being ‘aware’ of the recent developments.