Controversy Surrounds Bihar Deputy CM's Asset Declaration

Patna, Oct 17 (PTI) - Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, contesting the assembly polls from Tarapur constituency on a BJP ticket, has declared assets worth over Rs 10 crore, stirring controversy over discrepancies in his age and educational qualifications.

On Thursday, Choudhary submitted documents revealing his movable assets at Rs 99.32 lakh and immovable assets totaling Rs 8.28 crore. He admitted to two criminal cases pending against him: one in Patna for allegedly defying prohibitory orders in 2023 and another in Munger for breaching the model code of conduct during last year’s Lok Sabha polls.

This assembly election marks Choudhary's return after a decade, having served two consecutive terms in the state legislative council. His assets include ancestral property, a Bolero car, a rifle, and a revolver, gifted to him by his father Shakuni Choudhary, a seasoned politician who has since retired.

Choudhary’s wife, Kumari Mamta, a lawyer by profession, holds movable assets of Rs 27.89 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 1.08 crore. Both possess 200 grams of gold each, collectively valued at Rs 40 lakh, and his wife owns 500 grams of silver worth about Rs 75,000.

The 23-page affidavit, however, omits clear details of his date of birth and educational background, which have come under scrutiny following allegations by Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. Kishor accused Choudhary of evading trial for a 1995 incident in Tarapur by providing a “fake” certificate claiming he was a minor at the time. The affidavit lists Choudhary's age as 56, “according to the voters’ list,” but lacks a school certificate; he mentions receiving an honorary D.Litt.

Kishor further asserts that Choudhary did not complete Class X. The Deputy CM cites his highest education as a “PFC” from "Kamaraj University.”

Recently, viral videos show Choudhary struggling to clarify the meaning of “PFC” to journalists, following Kishor’s allegations.