Sushil Modi accuses Nitish of running crime protection bureau in Bihar

Patna, Oct 21: Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday charged former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with running corruption and crime protection bureau to ensure survival of a "fragile" JD(U) government in Bihar.

"You may not be running a marriage bureau, but you are definitely running corruption and crime protection bureau otherwise your (JD-U) government will fall," Modi told reporters.

Days ago, the former chief minister had slammed his former deputy for casting aspersions on him vis-a-vis medicine purchase scam by saying that he was not running a marriage bureau.

Kumar was referring to Modi's charge that close relatives of the former chief minister were involved in the medicine purchase scam.

The senior BJP leader lashed out at the JD(U) leader for going overboard on getting a clean chit from the Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh in the medicine purchase scam saying that it has not come a surprise as a bureaucrat was bound to comply with the directives of political masters.

Trashing the former chief minister's claim about being a man of integrity and honesty, Modi said that if it was so then why was he running away from asking the JD(U) government from recommending CBI probe in the medicine purchase scam?

Pointing to Kumar's alleged culpability in the medicine purchase scam running into about Rs 14 crore that took place when he held the charge of health department last year, Modi said that the former chief minister cannot get away by simply saying that the files with regard to purchase of medicine were not brought to his table for sanction.

PTI