The Patna High Court today directed Bihar government to submit to it by tomorrow all documents related to 'Badh Chala Bihar' (Bihar Marches Ahead) campaign of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar so that it could decide whether the drive is a publicity move of ruling Janata Dal(U) aimed at forthcoming Assembly polls.
A two-member bench of Chief Justice L Narasimha Reddy and Anjana Mishra ruled this while hearing a writ filed by Nagarik Adhikar Manch convenor and RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai on the matter.
"The state government wanted two weeks time for this purpose but the court asked it to submit the documents related to budget, expenditure and total cost of the campaign by tomorrow," Rai told PTI.
Badh Chala Bihar is an ambitious campaign launched amid much fanfare by Kumar on June 9 this year to ensure extensive public participation in drafting of developmental policies and producing a 'Bihar@2025' vision document.
The state's Information and Public Relations Departement (IPRD) is piloting the project which will reach out to masses in 40,000 villages in the state. It is aimed at eliciting opinion from around 4 crore people, including eminent persons from different walks of life, for policy-making.
