Patna, Nov 6 (IANS): JD-U’s Neeraj Kumar has accused Bihar Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav of involvement in the ‘salary scam’.

The allegation comes after Tejashwi Yadav sent a defamation notice to Neeraj Kumar, the latter responded through his lawyer, calling him (Tejashwi) to withdraw the legal notice within two weeks and issue a public apology.

Neeraj Kumar also warned that if Tejashwi fails to comply, he will proceed with legal action against him. In his legal response, Neeraj Kumar argued that Tejashwi’s notice seeks to suppress his freedom of speech.

Neeraj Kumar has raised questions about Tejashwi Yadav's financial disclosures, pointing to discrepancies in his reported income and lifestyle and accused him of being involved in a "salary scam."

On October 21, Kumar publicly claimed that while RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was responsible for the infamous fodder scam, his son Tejashwi Yadav was now involved in a similar scandal related to salaries.

Neeraj Kumar noted that in 2015, Tejashwi Yadav declared an annual income of ?5,08,019, yet claimed to have loaned over ?1.13 crore to various individuals.

During the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Tejashwi’s reported income had decreased to ?1,41,000 annually, or around ?11,812 per month—significantly lower than the monthly basic salary of ?40,000 for an MLA.

Neeraj Kumar questioned how someone with such a modest income could afford luxuries like chartered planes for birthday celebrations and frequent international travel. He suggested that Tejashwi Yadav should explain this "formula" of managing such expenses on a limited income to the people of Bihar, highlighting the drop in his reported income upon becoming the Leader of the Opposition.

In response to these allegations, Tejashwi Yadav called it baseless and sent an eight-page legal notice to Neeraj Kumar on October 24.

Tejashwi Yadav demanded ?12.10 crore for maligning his image and asked for a reply of notice within 10 days