Tejashwi asks Nitish: 75% of current Bihar ministers are 'tainted', where's your conscience?

PATNA: Former Deputy Chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said 75 per cent of the ministers in Bihar's new government have criminal cases against them. "Over 75 per cent of the ministers in your cabinet have cases against them, where is your conscience?" Tejashwi asked Nitish Kumar. According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), as many as 22 ministers out of 29 in the present government have criminal cases against them. Nitish Kumar had resigned on July 26 saying "he heard the vioce of his conscience" after Tejashwi Yadav did not come clean on accusations of graft and refused to quit. Tejashwi also said if if Nitish would ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct a probe against those who have been named in Panama Papers leak case. Speaking at a press conference here, Tejashwi said, "The people of Bihar demand an answer to all the questions that Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi have accused us of. Also would Nitish ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct a probe against people who have been named in Panama Papers leak case? That day will never come..as all accused are together". Further lashing out at Nitish, Tejashwi said that Chief Minister's arrogance will destroy the present government very soon. "Nitish's arrogance will destroy the present government very soon and he will also fail in completing his tenure. If Nitish didn't want to work with us then why did he wait so long? And why he has ruined four years of Bihar?" He alleged that 75 percent of the ministers in government are tainted, but the Chief Minister has kept mum on the issue. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad had on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "betrayal" for personal gains and alleged that the "match was fixed" between him and BJP to form a government together. (With inputs from agencies)