In a video that quickly spread across social media, Vinay Bihari, the BJP legislator from the Lauriya constituency, said the ₹10,000 crore distribution to JEEViKA didis was being made at a “critical election juncture” and would divert resources from ongoing development work, potentially hampering future projects.
Bihari pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the scheme earlier, directly transferring ₹7,500 crore into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women across Bihar, while the Nitish Kumar‑led state government has already disbursed funds to more than 1.81 crore women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a move he claims strains the state’s finances.
Beyond the cash handout, the MLA raised a series of policy questions, asking why there are no age limits for politicians, why they receive salaries and pensions despite politics being a public service, and why a person in prison can contest elections while an ordinary citizen in jail is barred from voting.
He warned that his outspoken stance could invite disciplinary action, remarking, “Speaking less will cost votes, speaking more will cost a ticket, speaking excessively will cost your head,” and likened the BJP to a temple where even a small fault must be called out.
BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna responded that internal democracy exists within the party but urged members to be “conscious about the place and issue where you are speaking,” adding that there is “no scarcity of funds in the state” and that JEEViKA women “deserved” the money, which has helped create a domestic market of nearly ₹60,000 crore.
Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, have repeatedly accused the state government of using pre‑election freebies as bribes. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed backed Bihari’s conscience‑driven criticism, alleging that the NDA secured power by distributing cash to women before the poll.
The controversy surfaces as Bihar gears up for its 2025 assembly election, with both the central and state schemes already having transferred billions to women entrepreneurs, a development the opposition says jeopardises the state treasury and fuels accusations of vote‑buying.