The seemingly intensifying discord between National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies BJP and JD(U) played out in Lok Sabha on Thursday when a senior member from each took pot shots at the other over the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Union government’s flagship programme. Members of the two parties, which run a coalition government in Bihar, disagreed over credit for the drinking water scheme implemented in the state. While BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy wanted Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat to tell the House why Bihar failed to draw “a single rupee” from Rs 6,600 crore allotted to it, fellow lawmaker Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh, who is also JD(U)’s national president, argued that the state had implemented the scheme even before the Centre announced its programme. Janata Dal (United) and BJP leaders have in the past, too, publicly expressed their differences over the way Central schemes are implemented in Bihar. During Question Hour, Rudy said, “We have our own government in Bihar, so I would not like to say much. Last year, the Centre allocated Rs 6,600 crore for the scheme, but it (Bihar) has drawn zero. It has not taken a single rupee from the central government. I would like to know what the minister (Shekhawat) did to upset the Bihar government that it is not taking any money.” Stating that water is a State subject, Shekhawat said state governments make the schemes, implement and operate them, as well as maintain them. “Under PM Modi's scheme, 50 per cent of funds is given by the Centre. Bihar has a scheme — ‘Har Ghar Nal’ — started earlier, and according to its data, 90 per cent of the state’s population has been provided with piped water,” he said. Shekhawat said, “Bihar government has not sought money, nor has it given in writing that it did not require money. If the state demands, the Centre will release money.” Lalan Singh, who had maintained silence during the last session, when the lawmakers from both parties got into an argument over the construction of roads in Bihar, said: “Rudy-ji tried to create some confusion here. In fact, the Bihar government had started the scheme in 2015 and has been running it since then. If he wants to talk about special status to the state, I can reply to that, too.” He added, “The honourable PM has already expressed his happiness over the performance of Bihar in the piped water scheme.” The JD(U) has repeatedly sought special category status for Bihar over the years. Shekhawat pointed out that in 2015 the Centre had funded the state on drinking water schemes under the National Rural Water Project scheme. He said the state was granted approximately Rs 2,000 crore in the last two years for the programme. Thursday’s face-off between the allies comes two days after senior JD (U) leader and party’s parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha termed the Union Budget as “disappointing”. Earlier, Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha had disputed the Centre’s figures on the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard, saying only 8.44 lakh tap water connections have been provided in Bihar under the Central scheme for rural households, and not 1.46 crore, as shown on the dashboard. He contended that the remaining connections were provided under two other schemes, including the state’s ‘Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal scheme.
