Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor unleashed sharp allegations against Bihar's BJP leaders, claiming they are "more corrupt" than RJD chief Lalu Prasad, during a press conference in Patna. He targeted Health Minister Mangal Pandey and state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, accusing them of quid pro quo deals involving ambulance procurements and property transactions amid the COVID-19 crisis. Kishor highlighted an order for 1,200 ambulances at Rs 28 lakh each, nearly double the rates in states like Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, suggesting inflated costs benefited specific firms.

Kishor further alleged that in 2019, Jaiswal transferred Rs 25 lakh to Pandey's father, used for purchasing a Delhi flat in Pandey's wife's name, with Jaiswal signing as a witness. In return, Pandey reportedly granted deemed university status to a Kishanganj medical college linked to Jaiswal. He questioned why this "loan" was omitted from Pandey's 2020 election affidavit and called on Chief Secretary Prataya Amrit to explain the ambulance deal's approval during his tenure in the health department.

The BJP dismissed the claims as baseless, with spokesperson Niraj Kumar clarifying that the Rs 25 lakh was a repaid loan, the university status falls under the education department, and no payments were made for the ambulances due to ongoing court proceedings. Kishor also criticized the continued presence of Minister Jibesh Mishra in the cabinet despite a Rajasthan court ruling on spurious medicine involvement, and condemned police actions against Patna students, hinting at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's declining health.

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These accusations come amid Bihar's turbulent political landscape, where the NDA has governed since 2005, with BJP holding key portfolios like health. Kishor, a former strategist who helped BJP's 2014 national win and JD(U)'s alliances, launched Jan Suraaj in 2022 to challenge established parties, focusing on anti-corruption and development. Recent health sector issues in Bihar include COVID-era procurement scandals, with audits revealing over Rs 500 crore in irregularities by 2024, fueling opposition demands for probes.

Kishor extended his critique to a brutal assault on a Bihari laborer in Haryana, demanding arrests and highlighting migrant worker vulnerabilities. As Bihar gears up for 2025 assembly polls, these claims could intensify scrutiny on NDA's governance, especially with health infrastructure lagging—only 60 percent of rural centers fully operational per 2024 reports—potentially shifting voter sentiment toward reformist platforms like Jan Suraaj.

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