Bihar Appropriation Bill passed in assembly

Patna: The Bihar assembly on Monday passed an appropriation Bill to clear decks for withdrawal of the state's annual budgetary provision of Rs 3.21 lakh crore for 2025-26 from the consolidated fund.

The Bihar Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025 was passed by voice vote amid a walkout by opposition legislators expressing dissatisfaction over Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary's reply to a debate on the bill. Choudhary also holds the portfolio of the Finance department.

"Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the focus of the NDA government is development, improvement of infrastructural facilities and strengthening the fiscal stability of the state. The government has also decided to open 350 degree colleges in the state in the coming years," said the minister.

The NDA government in the state has decided to allocate substantial funds for women empowerment schemes and entrepreneurship, said Choudhary.

"The government has received enormous support from the people in its bid to achieve the goal of a developed Bihar. We are making progress, leaving behind years of anarchy," said the senior BJP leader, in an apparent reference to the regime of the RJD and Congress.

The state government has spent 84 per cent of the funds allocated for 2024-25 till March 3, he added.

In his speech, Choudhary also mentioned the cooperation received by the state from the Centre and thanked it for the announcements made for Bihar in the Union budget.

He rejected Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav's claim that NDA leaders indulge in caste politics.

Choudhary said, "We do not indulge in politics of caste, but of ideology. The very purpose of our politics is to serve the people. My goal is to unite the society, take it forward and work in the national interest. Lalu ji (RJD president and ex-CM Lalu Prasad) used to say 'A king will not be born from the womb of a queen', but here, the entire Yadav family came to power and indulged in corruption. Lalu ji never does what he says. Now, it will not happen," Bihar remained a state deprived of development during Lalu's tenure, but the NDA government changed the picture of the state, he claimed.

"I have also worked with Lalu ji. He has no ideology. Tejashwi asks me if I had ever visited the Sangh (RSS headquarters) office in Nagpur. I ask him how many times did your father visit the Sangh office when he was with the BJP. I advise you (Tejashwi)... .You must visit the Sangh office in Nagapur. Your life will change. You will find a Yadav Niwas inside the campus of the Sangh's headquarters in Nagpur. This shows how the RSS takes care of each and every castes," said Choudhary.

On the law and order situation in the state, Choudhary said, “Everything is under control... The police have given a clear message to criminals: If you show a gun, you will be killed. No criminal will be spared".

The state government is committed to implement the CM's 'Saat Nischay' (seven resolves), besides achieving its target on road construction, energy, education, industries, tourism, health, sports and several other sectors, the minister said.

The debate witnessed noisy scenes with the ruling party MLAs holding RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi for presiding over 'jungle raj' in Bihar, to which RJD members protested.

The opposition members later staged a walkout.