It's a conspiracy against me, says Bihar minister after quitting over bribe sting

Former Bihar cabinet minister Awadhesh Kushwaha, who resigned on Sunday after he was caught on video in a sting operation taking money from a businessman, alleged that it was a ‘conspiracy’ against him and that he would do everything in his power to fight the charges against him and expose the truth.

“I am much loved in my region and I have done developmental work amounting to almost Rs 482 crore in my term since the past five years. There are people in higher posts in the central government who have conspired against me. Nitish Kumar is still my leader and I remain loyal to him even now,” Kushwaha told the media.

He asserted that he would fight to prove all the charges against him and added that he had offered his resignation so that he could work on exposing the truth.

Kushwaha, who was the minister for urban development and housing, was caught on video, in a sting operation, taking money from a businessman and promising to help him after returning to power.

The Election Commission has ordered the district magistrate to probe into the alleged sting tape, showing the minister accepting bribe.

Image: Former Bihar cabinet minister Awadhesh Kushwaha resigned on Sunday after a sting tape showed him accepting a bribe. Photograph: ANI/Twitter