CM Nitish Kumar’s son, his deputy richer than him

By Imran Khan

Patna, Jan 2 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also owns cows and calves just as Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi do, officials said on Monday.

According to the details of movable and immovable assets declared by the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues for 2016, Nitish Kumar owns 10 cows and five calves worth Rs 1.45 lakh, an official at the Chief Minister's Office said.

"Many people do not know that Nitish Kumar also owns cows and calves like Lalu and Rabri do," a senior Janata Dal-United leader said.

But officials were reluctant to give the exact location of his cattle shed. "The cattle may be at 7, Circular Road residence, which was allotted to him as the former Chief Minister in 2014."

Both former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi are well known for their love for cows. They own dozens of cows and calves for years. Most his cattle are at the RJD chief's cattle shed in Danapur town on Patna's outskirts.

According to RJD leaders, when Rabri Devi was the Chief Minister, she had over 100 cows and calves and most of them were kept in the specially-designed shed at her official residence.

But when she was asked to vacate the place following the party's defeat in 2005 assembly elections, the cows were shifted to Danapur.

The ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar has the RJD and the Congress as the partners of Nitish Kumar's JD-U. Lalu's two sons -- elder Tej Pratap Yadav is the Bihar Health Minister and younger Tejaswi Yadav the Deputy Chief Minister.

According to the declaration, Nitish Kumar's only son Nishant Kumar has landed assets worth Rs 1.11 crore, making him richer than his father, whose total assets are worth Rs 56 lakh only, including cash, bank deposits, a Ford car, an exercise bicycle and a flat in Delhi.

Nitish Kumar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav is also richer than him in terms of movable and immovable assets. He owns commercial and residential plots and agricultural land and other assets valued at Rs 1.28 crore.

Tejaswi Yadav, however, has no vehicle.

His elder brother Tej Pratap has assets of Rs 1.24 crore, including land, a BMW car worth Rs 29 lakh and a motorcycle worth Rs 15 lakh.

The Chief Minister has since 2010 made it mandatory for himself and his ministers to declare their assets annually by December 31.