Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad today
demanded a probe into an alleged toilet construction scam in
the state, claiming that a "proper" investigation would find
the quantum of the fraud to be hundreds of crores of rupees.
The Patna district administration had on Thursday
uncovered misappropriation of funds to the tune of around Rs
13.50 crore, meant for construction of toilets in the state.
Government money to construct toilets in 2016 was
allegedly transferred by Public Health and Engineering
Department's then executive engineer to four NGOs and some
individuals, when the construction work was handed to the
Rural Development Department, officials said.
"In which circumstances, the work of construction of
toilet was handed over to NGOs, whereas it has to be done by
the government? The quantum of the scam could be in hundreds
of crores if a proper probe is done in all the districts of
the state," Prasad told reporters here.
Mocking Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's claim of "zero
tolerance" towards corruption, he said, "More than a dozen
scams have occurred in his current tenure that included mega
scam Srijan, toilet construction scam, Mahadalit scam,
scholarship scam, toppers scam."
Prasad said whenever any scam surfaces, Kumar talks of
setting up a high-level probe committee with his "so-called
resolve to punish the guilty at any cost", and also questioned
the CM's continuance in power.
In reply to a query on whether the BJP was cornering
Kumar, Prasad said the state government will not last long.
"My fight will be with the RSS and the BJP in future," he
said.
To another question, he said that the RJD would
observe November 8 as "black day" to protest demonetisation
and GST.
He also announced the appointment of Shankar Charan
Tripathi as the national spokesman of the party.
Tripathi, who had been in the air force, was the
former Uttar Pradesh Additional Commissioner of Commercial
Taxes.
