Jan Suraaj Alleges ₹14,000 Crore Diverted From World Bank Funds Ahead Of Bihar Elections

Still recovering from its significant defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj party has accused the NDA of diverting World Bank funds for electoral gains. Speaking to ANI, party spokesperson Pavan Verma alleged that money allocated by the World Bank for a separate project was instead used to transfer ₹10,000 to women voters during the polls.

Verma pointed out that the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana saw ₹10,000 deposited into the accounts of 1.25 crore women shortly before voting. He further stated that Bihar’s current public debt stands at ₹4,06,000 crore, with the state paying ₹63 crore daily as interest, and alleged that the treasury is nearly empty.

According to Verma, the ₹10,000 distributed came from a ₹21,000-crore fund provided by the World Bank, and he claimed that ₹14,000 crore was withdrawn just an hour before the model code of conduct came into effect. He clarified that the information could be inaccurate, but insisted that, if true, it raises serious ethical concerns.

He added that rumours were circulating that women would not receive the remaining amount if the NDA lost, which influenced voting behaviour. Out of four crore women in the state, he said 2.5 crore have yet to receive the funds.

On being asked whether schemes like the Mahila Rojgar Yojana served as an election game-changer, Verma noted that Prime Minister Modi had earlier criticised freebies but questioned what happened in Bihar. He dismissed claims that Jan Suraaj’s poor performance stemmed from Prashant Kishor’s stance on lifting the liquor ban, arguing that alcohol is widely available at inflated prices, which affects households, especially women.

Verma attributed the party’s failure to multiple factors, including the last-minute fund transfer and the ruling alliance’s policies targeting women voters.