Bihar: Nitish's minister calls himself 'sardar of thieves'

Patna, Sep 13: In a statement causing huge embarrassment to his party, Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh has said that there are "thieves" working in his department and he is their "sardar" (chieftain).

Speaking at an event in Kaimur, he said that although the government has changed, the corruption remains. "There is not a single wing of our (agriculture) department that does not commit acts of theft. As I am the in-charge of the department, I become their Sardar. There are many other chieftains above me too. The government has changed, but the working style remained the same. Everything is the same as before," ANI quoted him as saying.

He then accused Bihar State Seed Corporation of looting Rs 200 crore in the name of giving relief to farmers. "The farmers who had to cultivate good quality paddy, do not take paddy seeds of Bihar State Seed Corporation. Even if they take it for some reason, they do not put it in their fields. Instead of giving relief to the farmers, the seed corporations steal Rs 100-150 crore."

Without naming Janata Dal (United) MLA from Chainpur and the Minority Affairs Minister Mohammad Jama Khan, Sudhakar Singh criticised him and said, "Now there are two ministers from the district. Even after that, if the situation does not change, then what is the benefit of becoming a minister? Kaimur district is full of corrupt officials."

Sudhakar Singh, who is the son of Rashtriya Janat Dal (RJD) state president Jagdanand Singh, is an MLA from the Ramgarh seat of Buxar and prominent leader in Bihar.

Earlier, Singh was accused of siphoning off Rs 5.31 crore in the rice scam.