Patna, Sep 29 (IANS) Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader and Samastipur MP, Shambhavi Choudhary, the daughter of Bihar Minister Ashok Choudhary, on Monday, rejected Jan Suraaj President Prashant Kishor’s corruption allegations levelled at the Nitish Kumar-led government, calling them “false” and “politically motivated”.
Addressing the media after Kishor accused her father, mother-in-law, and the Manav Vaibhav Vikas Trust of amassing illegal wealth, the Samastipur MP said that such allegations were common during elections.
“Especially when elections come, allegations and counter-allegations are levelled against everyone all the time. This is no surprise. My father and my mother-in-law have both responded to the allegations made by Prashant Kishor,” she added.
Calling the allegations baseless and personal, Shambhavi Choudhary added, “He mentioned my father-in-law, late Kishore Kunal and my mother-in-law’s name and made a personal attack on them. My father-in-law and my mother-in-law are not from a political family. Nothing wrong has happened in the trust. They can say a lot, but we will speak from one side and they will speak from the other. There will be no end to this.”
She also clarified that the Manav Vaibhav Vikas Trust would formally present its side.
“The allegations made are baseless and false. There is no disguise. The Trust will present its side as needed,” the LJP leader said.
The remarks come amid an escalating political battle in Bihar, where Prashant Kishor has accused Minister Ashok Choudhary of acquiring assets worth Rs 200 crore and taking commissions on government contracts — charges the Minister has already denied.
Prashant Kishor, in a press conference on Monday, claimed to have documentary proof of Ashok Chaudhary’s alleged disproportionate assets and demanded that the Minister withdraw a legal defamation notice of Rs 100 crore and issue a public apology within seven days, failing which he would escalate the matter to the Governor and the courts.
“We have already issued documents proving his acquisition of assets worth Rs 200 crore. If Ashok Chaudhary believes the land is not his, he should explain this to the public. Instead of answering, he now says he will fight a political battle. This will not work,” Kishor said.
“If he does not withdraw his notice and apologise publicly, we will reveal documents showing assets worth Rs 500 crore in the next round,” he warned.
Kishor also alleged that Ashok Chaudhary’s department had awarded contracts worth more than Rs 20,000 crore in the past eight months, claiming that the Minister took a five per cent commission on each contract, and an additional 0.5 per cent commission whenever departmental funds were released.
“This is the same money that goes to the department’s engineers and was recently burned at an engineer’s house. In our next press conference, we will produce those who paid these five per cent commissions,” he added.
The Jan Suraaj founder ramped up his attack on Bihar’s political establishment, raising serious questions over the multi-crore property purchases by the Manav Vaibhav Vikas Trust and demanding full financial disclosures from those associated with it.
Kishor alleged that properties worth more than Rs 100 crore were purchased from the trust’s account immediately after the engagement of Minister Ashok Chaudhary’s daughter Shambhavi Chaudhary to Saayan Kunal.
“Where did this money come from?” Kishor asked, demanding a public explanation from Jiyalal Arya, who is linked to the trust, as well as Anita Kunal (wife of late IPS officer and former Mahavir Mandir Secretary Kishore Kunal) and the mother-in-law of Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit, who is also associated with the trust.
“These people should not tarnish the name of the late Kishore Kunal. They must hold a press conference and disclose the source of funds and the trust’s account details,” he said.
–IANS
ajk/khz
