In an unprecedented move, the business advisory committee of the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Tuesday decided not to have discussion on the crucial home department’s budgetary demand, and instead replaced it with the water resources department (WRD) on March 24, despite opposition from the BJP, which termed it “an example of the government trying to escape discussion on law and order under pressure from the RJD”.
“The debate on WRD was earlier scheduled for March 7, which could not take place after it was declared a holiday, but the government thought it wise to give it another opportunity at the cost of home department, which concerns law and order. Several serious incidents have been raised almost daily in the House. What is more, the home portfolio is with the chief minister and he has been speaking on it, as law and order has always been his government’s USP, but it seems to have lost relevance now that he has joined hands with the RJD,” said leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha after leading party’s walkout from the House without moving any cut motion on the budgetary demand of the health department and participating in debate.
Sinha said the government was making a mockery of the Budget session and the state was returning to the days of Rabri Devi regime, a reference to the period of RJD rule in the state before 2005.
“It is for the first time perhaps, except the Covid period, when the budgetary demand of the home department, would be passed through guillotine. Out of 47 departments, the budgetary demand of only eight would be taken up during the budget session, which shows the government is unnerved, and does not want to face the House on issues of corruption and rapidly deteriorating law and order situation,” he said.
Later, with the opposition benches empty all through, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav hit back during his reply, saying he had hoped the Opposition to be present in the House after he gave a detailed statement on the turn of events since raids by central agencies. “The fact is that they cannot face truth as they don’t have the courage. They have shown their character yet again. I am here to live up to the expectation of the CM, who has entrusted me with such a huge responsibility,” he said.
Listing the achievements of his government to ensure good healthcare facilities to the people in districts and blocks, the deputy CM announced that the government would open three more medical college and hospitals in Supaul, Gopalganj and Munger, while the work is in progress at Siwan, Saran, Samastipur, Purnea, Jhanjharpur, Jamui, Buxar and Begusarai to achieve the objective of one in every district. “Besides, the government has plan to set up trauma centres at 11 places across the state to timely tackle accident cases. We are also sympathetically considering hiking the honorarium paid to health workers down the line. We are also planning to create separate cadres for doctors as well as auxiliary nurse and midwife (ANM) so that they could work efficiently in their districts. Besides, we have plans to recruit for 1.60 jobs in the health department and the process for working out the modalities is on,” he added.
The health minister said that government has provided land for AIIMS at Shobhan bypass in Darbhanga and it has also decided to develop the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on the lines of PMCH, the work on which is on at an estimated cost of ₹5,000 crore. “Unfortunately, while we want to work, BJP is trying to unsettle everything by tying to create fear of 15% in the minds of 85% Hindus. They don’t want to address the real problem of unemployment and poverty,” he added.
