Patna: The decision of Nitish Kumar-led government to buy a plane and a helicopter has kicked off a political row in Bihar, with opposition BJP leaders critcising the move, saying it will encourage VVIP culture.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar defended the plan, claiming it was ally-turned-opposition BJP which wanted him to buy them when it shared power with JD(U) in the state.
“I do not know what the fuss is about. Many state governments purchase planes and helicopters for administrative purposes. The BJP wanted me to buy a plane and chopper when they were in power with me,” the Bihar CM said Thursday.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi said that such acquisition by the state encouraged VVIP culture. Without directly naming Tejashwi Yadav, he alluded that Nitish Kumar’s purchase might be to “please his political successor”.
“During his long tenure as CM of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has never felt the necessity of purchasing planes or choppers. The government’s decision is perhaps aimed at pleasing his political successor. Buying a 12-seater jet plane at the cost of Rs 250 crore and a helicopter for another Rs 100 crore is a joke on the poor people of Bihar. Maintenance of the plane and chopper incurs a heavy amount. It is always cheaper to hire a plane,” Modi remarked Thursday, while speaking to The Print.
JD(U) National President Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lallan’ hit back at the BJP.
“I am surprised at the reaction of Sushil Kumar Modi. A plane costing Rs 8,460 crore is being purchased for the use of PM Modi. The expense of using planes during PM Modi’s foreign visits is Rs 2,021 crore. He (Sushil Modi) should seek an explanation from the PM,” the JD(U) chief said in a tweet.
The decision to purchase new aircraft for the state aviation department was taken in a cabinet meeting Tuesday. A committee is to be constituted for the acquisition and the actual purchase will take place during the current financial year.
Bihar currently has a Beechcraft King C90 aircraft, bought for Rs 14.5 crore, when the state was under the President’s rule and governed by late Buta Singh in 2005. It was the last time such a purchase was made in Bihar.
The deal had its share of controversies as questions were raised at the logic behind purchasing an ‘outdated model’. Charges of kickbacks also did the rounds when the plane was bought.
The state also has a helicopter Dauphin SA 365N, which is currently under repair.
Cabinet Secretary S Siddharth, who also looks after the state aviation department, said the Beechcraft King aircraft is only a six-seater plane, which isn’t a jet, and takes a long time when any VVIP has to go outside the state.
“The state government has to hire a jet plane having 10 plus 2 sitting capacity whenever trips outside the state are needed. The airstrips located in far flung districts are short, making it impossible for planes to land. Therefore, we are going in for the purchase of a helicopter,” Sidhharth told ThePrint.
He also said that the plan to purchase the aircraft was not about VVIP movement alone. “The state will be using it for law and order and disaster management,” he stressed.
Buying airplanes in Bihar has always evoked controversies. In the 1980s, when then chief minister S N Sinha ordered the purchase of two choppers for Rs 7 crore, questions were raised about encouraging VVIP culture.
When Lalu Yadav first came to power, he used to showcase the plane to his followers, implying he was the one riding it although it was purchased by his predecessor Jagannath Mishra.
“Nitish Kumar must be aware that controversies will erupt. But what is the use of having an aviation department without having aircraft,” said a JD(U) MLA, who did not want to be named.
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