Amid raging political row over gift distribution among legislators in Bihar, two senior BJP leaders on Monday returned their microwave ovens and suitcases back to the state government.
Amid raging political row over gift distribution among legislators in Bihar, two senior BJP leaders on Monday returned their microwave ovens and suitcases back to the state government. The move was initiated by the former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who returned items which he had received as gifts at the legislative council counter on Monday.
Mr Modi, who had earlier announced his decision through tweets before returning his gifts at the legislative council counter, wrote a harsh letter to the chief minister asking him to make arrangements to “stop the tradition of gift distribution among legislators and use the money for state’s development.”
BJP state unit chief Mangal Pandey followed suit by returning microwave oven which he had received from the state education department last week. A BJP source said more party legislators are likely to return their gifts back to the state government after two senior members made the move.
“We cannot accept expensive gifts and that too from the education department which can’t even pay salaries to school teachers,” former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said after he returned the gifts on Monday.
According to a legislator, the tradition of distributing gifts had started many years ago. Earlier, during the Budget Session, various departments used to distribute diaries, briefcases and sometimes even watches but now they have started giving expensive durable items like microwave ovens and android phones.
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, who had earlier defended the state government by calling the move as an old tradition, on Monday slammed Opposition leaders for “trying to do politics over the issue.”
He said, “Why did they accept those gifts when they had to return it back. This is all a political stunt.”
