Nitish orders review of depts held by Tejashwi, 2 others in previous govt

This is the first time as CM since November 2005 that Nitish Kumar, after switching to another alliance, has ordered a review of departments’ works held by his former colleagues.

Four of these departments — Road Construction, Health, Urban Development and Housing and Rural Works — were under the then deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

The other departments to be reviewed are Public Health and Engineering Department held by then minister Lalit Yadav and Mines and Geology Department under then minister Ramanand Yadav. On 12 February, Kumar told the Assembly he had received complaints about alleged corruption and malpractices in some departments under RJD ministers and those “would be investigated”. Later, in the Legislative Council, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary reiterated the decision to review works done by RJD ministers.

RJD national spokesman Subodh Kumar Mehta said: “If Nitish wants to show a clean slate, he should expand the ambit of this review and include all flagship schemes. How can secretaries who could be parties to decisions taken by our ministers review it? Let an independent agency review all major works.”