Prashant Kishor targets Bihar Health Minister on corruption charges

Patna, Aug 8 Jan Suraaj chief, Prashant Kishor, on Friday slammed the Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey over corruption charges, asserting that the minister is involved in the medical college scam.

“Pandey accepted a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from BJP’s Bihar state president Dilip Jaiswal in exchange for helping Kishanganj’s MGM Medical College secure the status of a deemed university,” charged Kishor while addressing a press conference in Patna.

He claimed the money was used to buy a flat worth Rs 86 lakh in Delhi’s Dwarka in 2020, in the name of Pandey’s wife, Urmila Pandey, at the height of the COVID crisis.

According to Kishor, the Rs 25 lakh was first transferred to Pandey’s father, Awadhesh Pandey, from Jaiswal’s account on August 6, 2019, via RTGS.

The funds were then used in six transactions to purchase the property, with Jaiswal acting as a witness in the deal.

Kishor also accused Pandey of failing to mention this “loan” in his 2020 election affidavit.

Shortly after the property purchase, Kishor noted, MGM Medical College was granted deemed university status, after two decades of affiliation with BN Mandal University.

Kishor further levelled serious allegations regarding ambulance procurement in Bihar.

He claimed that in 2022, 466 Type C ambulances were bought from Force Motors at Rs 19.58 lakh each, while in 2025, 250 more were purchased at Rs 27 lakh each - despite similar models being sold to Odisha and Uttar Pradesh at lower prices.

Tata Motors’ cheaper bid was allegedly rejected because an AC in the driver’s cabin was “unnecessary,” paving the way for Force Motors’ higher-priced order.

The Jan Suraaj chief argued that if bulk buying was involved, prices should have been lower, not higher.

He held Pratyay Amrit, then Principal Secretary of the Health Department and soon to be Chief Secretary, accountable for approving the inflated deals.

Kishor also alleged irregularities in the Ayushman Bharat health card scheme at MGM College, Kishanganj, pointing out that the scheme’s state head was formerly the personal secretary to Mangal Pandey.

“These officials must remember - signatures on files have consequences. Not only politicians like Lalu Prasad Yadav were punished in the fodder scam; officials were also caught,” Kishor warned.

Prashant Kishor strongly countered the BJP’s charges, asserting that he has been running the “Baat Bihar Ki” Facebook page since 2018 and there is nothing illegal about it.

“When I left JD-U in 2018, they tried to pressure me by putting forward a dummy person claiming that the ‘Baat Bihar Ki’ page wasn’t mine. My job is to create slogans – we do it for leaders across the country. Why would I steal my own slogan? The case went to court and was dismissed; now it’s in the High Court with judgment reserved,” Kishor said.

He added that the page has over 25 lakh followers and its photos and videos reach five crore viewers.

“If we’ve done anything wrong, the government is yours – file a case and arrest us,” he challenged.

Kishor also attacked the BJP, saying, “Lalu Prasad Yadav was punished for allegations against him, but BJP leaders are quietly enjoying the benefits under the blanket. These are thugs and miscreants.”

He promised to release the “next instalment” of his exposé soon.

Responding to the charges, BJP’s Bihar spokesperson Prabhakar Mishra dismissed them as baseless.

“Kishor and his party, Jan Suraaj, have lost ground in Bihar. They were defeated badly in the bypolls of Tarari, Ramgarh, Belaganj, and Imamganj, and they will lose again in the upcoming Assembly elections,” Mishra said.

At the press meet, Jan Suraaj national president Uday Singh, former MP Sitaram Yadav, MLC Afaq Alam, HQ convenor NK Mandal, general secretary Sarwar Ali, ex-BJP leader Sudhir Sharma, and Vinita Vijay were present.

The event was conducted by former MLA Kishore Kumar Munna, convenor of the election campaign committee.

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