Sushil Modi said if the opposition spends this much on salary, how will they meet other expenses.
Just a week before the Bihar assembly elections, the state's ruling alliance has finally decided to counter Tejashwi Yadav's claims to provide 10 lakh government jobs which have been a big draw in his campaign. Today Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Modi came out with a back-of-envelope budget calculations and questioned how the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Grand Alliance plans to fund it.
In a media statement, Sushil Modi said the salaries and payments of the current government employees amount to Rs 52,734 crores. Another 10 lakh employees will push the amount up to Rs 1.11 lakh crore.
"If the opposition spends this much on salary, how will they meet the expenses on pension, students' scholarship, cycle, uniforms, mid-day meal, farmers' subsidy, infrastructure and electricity," he questioned.
The current state budget, he pointed out, amounts only to 2,11,761 crore. It would not leave room for repayment of loans or even interest, he pointed out.
Tejashwi Yadav's poll promise of providing 10 lakh jobs in his "first cabinet meeting" appears to have found resonance among voters, with lakhs of migrant works being without jobs since the countrywide lockdown started in March.
The election rallies of the 31-year-old have been jam-packed for weeks. Leaders of his Rashtriya Janata Dal say a majority of the crowds are migrant labourers, who feel let down by the Nitish Kumar government.
The BJP has so far been ignoring the crowds. Yesterday, party spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said most of the meetings are held in the RJD strongholds, where the party's "traditional supporters come in big numbers". "If you see previous elections, the results have no connection to the turnout at rallies," he had pointed out.
But Sushil Modi's note today indicates that the ruling alliance feels the need to fight back.
In his note, Mr Modi also said: "According to the false promises by opposition, if 1.25 lakh doctors, 2.5 lakh para-medical staff are inducted, then 22,270.95 crore will be spent on salaries. For recruitment of 2.5 lakh teachers and 50 teachers, 20,352.66 crore will be spent... 3604 crore will be spent on recruitment of 95,000 police officers, 5,780 crore will be spent on recruitment of 75,000 engineers, Rs 6,406 crore will be spent on recruitment of 2 lakh peons... this means a total of Rs 58,415 crore will be spent."
The opposition, he said, is making false promises, "which they will never be able to fulfill, with an aim to deceive the voters".
At a rally yesterday, Mr Modi's boss, Chief Mister Nitish Kumar, also hit back with a similar remark. The RJD leader's promise, he said, was one that no one in the world can keep.
"Where will you get the money to pay the salaries? From the same scam for which you are in jail? Or will you print fake money," the Chief Minister said. The sub-text was a reminder to voters that Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav's father, was in jail in a corruption case and juxtaposing it with his own clean image.
Unfazed, Tejashwi Yadav had responded with another set of corruption allegations.
"Rs 30,000 crore is Bihar's budget, where is the money? All gone in 60 scams on his watch. His Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali policy has been assigned ₹ 24,000 crore. It is all going into corruption. He spent ₹ 500 crore to brighten his face in ads. Then he makes this laughable comment about where's the money to give jobs," Tejashwi Yadav said, alleging that the Chief Minister has "lost it, mentally and physically".
"There is a provision in the budget for 4.5 lakh jobs that are vacant. And 5.5 lakh jobs more are needed for Bihar's progress, according to Niti Aayog. If there is a will, it is possible," he said.