Political temperatures are rising in Bihar even before the election announcement. While a conflict is brewing within Lalu Yadav’s family, internal strife is also evident within the JDU. Prashant Kishor has accused JDU minister Ashok Choudhary of corruption amounting to 200 crore rupees. This allegation by PK has brought the internal conflict within JDU to the forefront.
Following Prashant Kishor’s accusations, the minister has not come forward, but former JDU minister and MLC Neeraj Kumar has. JDU spokesperson MLC Neeraj Kumar, distancing himself from the party, has asked Choudhary to respond to the allegations. He has also questioned Choudhary’s reference to Nitish Kumar as a ‘spiritual father.’
Furthermore, Prashant Kishor has reiterated in the media that Ashok Choudhary should either respond to the allegations in the media or resign. This has been Nitish Kumar’s policy; previously, in the Mahagathbandhan government, Tejashwi Yadav was asked to respond to allegations, and the alliance was broken when he did not.
The question now is whether Ashok Choudhary will respond or resign. In the upcoming Bihar elections, Choudhary is already under scrutiny from Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha regarding the Suryagarha seat. He is also under fire from Minister Vijay Choudhary concerning the Barbigha seat, from where he intends to field his son-in-law. He is under fire from JDU MLC Neeraj Kumar due to his proximity to Anant Singh.