Bihar minister has zero balance in 7 accounts

Bihar’s Finance Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui has zero balance in seven out of his 10 savings bank accounts.

This information came to the fore after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ministers declared their assets and liabilities – an annual ritual since 2010, where right from the chief minister to Class III employees all have to declare their assets at the end of the calendar year.

Siddiqui, a minister from RJD quota, is known for his integrity, demeanour, and political understanding. According to the information furnished by him, he has Rs 26.13 lakh in the remaining three bank accounts. He possesses a Mahindra XUV as well as a scooter, while his wife owns one flat each in Ghaziabad and Patna.

On the other hand, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap owns a BMW, besides a bike worth Rs 15 lakh. Tej Pratap, who is the health minister, has assets worth Rs 3 crore, while his younger brother Tejaswi Yadav has movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.5 crore.

Tejaswi, who is also Bihar’s deputy chief minister, has paid Rs 92,991 as income tax in the financial year 2015-16. Both the sons of Lalu also own several acres of agricultural land.
Nitish, however, has assets to the tune of Rs 55 lakh, which includes a flat in New Delhi.

His only son Nishant, an engineering graduate, has assets twice as much as his father. His movable and immovable assets are worth Rs 1.11 crore, which include the property inherited by him from his late mother.

The richest in the cabinet is Alok Mehta, who is the cooperative minister, and has assets worth Rs 6.36 crore, while minister Anita Devi is the poorest of all with just Rs 21.75 lakh assets.