'₹14,000 Crore World Bank Funds Used In Bihar Polls': Prashant Kishor's JSP Alleges Massive Diversion Of Development Money

Patna: Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has levelled a serious allegation against the Nitish Kumar government, claiming that funds worth Rs 14,000 crore received from the World Bank for development projects were diverted to provide Rs 10,000 cash transfers to women ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

The party said the move amounted to an unethical attempt to influence the outcome of the polls.

Party alleges misuse of public money to sway voters

At a press briefing, Jan Suraaj national president Uday Singh said the recently concluded election had been secured through an unprecedented use of state resources. He claimed that approximately Rs 40,000 crore had been spent between June and polling day to secure the mandate. According to Singh, the government used World Bank money to fund the Rs 10,000 cash transfers under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, calling it a misuse of public funds.

Singh said Bihar’s economy was incapable of absorbing such a financial outflow and warned that the state now had little money left for welfare expenditure. The allegation centres on cash transfers made to 1.25 crore women voters in the weeks before polling, a move that analysts have said played a significant role in the NDA’s sweeping win.

Jan Suraaj flags concerns on treasury strain and ethical questions

Jan Suraaj spokesperson Pavan Verma repeated the allegation at the same briefing. He said the party had information, which he cautioned could be incorrect, that the Rs 10,000 transfers came from Rs 21,000 crore received from the World Bank. He further alleged that Rs 14,000 crore had been withdrawn an hour before the moral code of conduct came into force and distributed to women across the state.

Verma said the issue raised ethical concerns irrespective of its legal permissibility. He added that similar practices could influence voter behaviour in upcoming elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other BJP governed states. Verma also said that Bihar’s public debt had reached Rs 4.06 lakh crore, with a daily interest burden of Rs 63 crore, and argued that the state treasury had been left depleted.

The claim comes after Jan Suraaj’s poor performance in the election. The party contested 238 seats but did not secure a single win. The NDA swept 202 seats, with the BJP winning 89 and the JD(U) 85. The Mahagathbandhan suffered a major setback, with the RJD winning 25 seats and the Congress reduced to six.