A DAY after reported that contracts worth over Rs 53 crore were awarded under Bihar’s Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal scheme to family members and aides of Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad, the BJP leader met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in what, he said, was “a review meeting of the Mines Department”. But sources said the Chief Minister also raised the findings of The Indian Express investigation and asked Prasad to “explain his side of the story in the public domain”.
Prasad also issued a statement targeting the Opposition RJD for “playing up” the issue. “The Opposition should engage in constructive criticism but has been trying to divert attention from serious charges of corruption they have faced… I have been trying to meet the goals and high standards set by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi,” he said.