Tejashwi slams NDA govt over unfulfilled MMRY promise

Patna: RJD working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday said the NDA govt in Bihar has failed to fulfil its poll promise of transferring the second instalment of the total Rs 2 lakh under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY) into the personal accounts of registered women, claiming the state’s coffers are empty.“Only 1.81 crore women have been paid the first installment, and the remaining 18 lakh women have not yet been covered under the MMRY scheme,” Tejashwi, who is also the leader of opposition in the state assembly, said, adding, “The govt knew its resources were limited, and yet, it borrowed Rs 41,000 crore to distribute it under various schemes to reap the poll benefits.”He alleged women were “given warnings and threats that if they did not vote for a particular candidate of a specific party at the polling booth fitted with cameras, then the money transferred to them would be withdrawn, and at the same time, the inducement given was also that if they voted as advised, then the next installments up to Rs 2 lakh would also be paid to them.”He also said “it is already six months since the November 2025 assembly elections were held,” but the poll promise remains unfulfilled, as the “financial condition of the state is worse at present.”Tejashwi said just before the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll schedule for the Nov 2025 Bihar assembly elections, the state govt announced its MMRY scheme. While the release of the amount was staggered over a period going beyond the poll schedule, as many as 1.81 crore women have been covered overall.Under the scheme, the first instalment worth Rs 10,000 was transferred into the personal account of each registered woman to facilitate the start of a business activity of choice. The additional promise the govt made was the second instalment would be paid to them after six months, following the review of their business activities undertaken.“The NDA govt has done treachery with women, as by speaking a bland lie, the govt exploited their emotions to garner their votes during the assembly election. It, thereby, has also cheated them,” Tejashwi said, adding the govt kept transferring Rs 10,000 each into the accounts of Jeevika Didis associated with self-help groups (SHGs) and other registered women all through the poll schedule and even beyond it.