Nitish Kumar following Lalu's footsteps: Tariq Anwar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary Tariq Anwar today accused Nitish Kumar government of following the footsteps of the erstwhile RJD government led by Lalu Prasad as evident from "corruption and chaos" in Bihar.

"Nitish Kumar government is following the footsteps of the erstwhile government led by Lalu Prasad during whose 15-year-long rule the state was synonymous with corruption, anarchy and chaos," Anwar told reporters here.

Anwar said it was unfortunate that a senior minister of Nitish Kumar's cabinet (Jamshed Asraf) was summarily sacked by Kumar when he raked up the issue of corruption in the state excise department.

"Now that the CAG report has highlighted irregularities in non-reconciliation of the withdrawal of Rs11,412 crore from the state treasuries between 2002-03 and 2007-08, it has proved beyond doubt that Kumar's government is neck-deep in corruption," he alleged.

Not not a single welfare project sponsored by the central government had achieved its target in Bihar due to corruption, Anwar charged.

He further alleged that the politics of "caste and communalism" had impeded the development of the state and said if voted to power, his party would take up development-oriented measures and check corruption in Bihar.