New Delhi, Sep 2 Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, on Tuesday, defended Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the wake of fresh corruption allegations by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, asserting that while corruption is a nationwide issue, “at the very least, Nitish Kumar does not tolerate corruption in any form”.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Manjhi said, "This is not just about Bihar. Such things are happening across the entire country. A corrupt person is corrupt, no matter where they are. But you have to give Nitish Kumar credit, he does not tolerate corruption in any form."
His comments came in response to Tejashwi Yadav’s sharp criticism of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar.
Yadav alleged that the administration is deeply mired in irregularities and pointed specifically to a recent incident involving a government engineer reportedly caught with Rs 100 crore in cash.
“Engineers in Bihar were caught with Rs 100 crore. If this is happening, the CM should stop preaching about illegal practices in his own government departments,” Tejashwi said, hinting at systemic corruption.
Manjhi, however, countered the political narrative, suggesting that corruption must be tackled across the board and should not be used selectively for political mudslinging.
Separately, Manjhi also commented on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s controversial "hydrogen bomb" statement made during the conclusion of the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Patna.
“What happened after the atomic bomb was dropped? Not even an ant died. The same will happen with this so-called hydrogen bomb,” Manjhi quipped, dismissing the impact of Gandhi’s remarks.
“There is no real issue in what they’re saying. Yes, names of the dead and bogus voters are being removed, and names which were not there are being added to the voter list. This process is being corrected. We won’t allow outsiders to influence Bihar’s politics,” he added.
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