RJD MP asks Nitish Kumar govt to snap ties with Gates Foundation

The political aftershocks of the Epstein file revelations have now reached Bihar, with the controversy spilling into questions of governance, policy access and the role of the Gates Foundation in state decision-making.

In a letter, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh has urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to review — and if necessary sever — the Bihar government’s engagement with the Gates Foundation, citing concerns over propriety.

Singh’s demand follows global scrutiny around Bill Gates after his name surfaced in discussions with deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly died by suicide in prison in 2019.

At the centre of Singh’s criticism is the foundation’s operational presence inside Bihar’s bureaucracy. Individuals supported by the Gates Foundation, are working as assistants with senior IAS officers and across key departments. They allegedly provide access to policy formulation and flagship schemes.

“The deployment of individuals appointed by a foreign organisation in the offices and departments of senior, sensitive officials raises questions about policy sovereignty not only in Bihar but across the country,” Singh wrote in his letter.

Singh argued that professionals paid by a foreign philanthropic organisation drawing salaries running into lakhs and operating within sensitive government offices raises concerns about transparency, data sharing and the autonomy of policymaking.

The RJD leader also flagged the foundation’s partnerships with the Bihar state in sectors such as health and agriculture, asking for clarity on the objectives and functioning of initiatives like the Centre for Health and Agriculture Policy in Patna.

Notably, Singh’s intervention comes at a time when Bill Gates is visiting India, a trip that has attracted political ire. Gates, who was scheduled to speak at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi, cancelled his address amid the controversy.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party leader Nara Lokesh, son of chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and himself a minister in the Andhra Pradesh government, has said his administration will discuss “strengthening partnerships in health, agriculture, education, and technology-driven governance” with the Gates Foundation.

Demanding further investigation, Singh asked:

• What is the legal basis for the appointment of individuals paid by the Gates Foundation in the Bihar government?

• Was this done through a transparent process under an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)?

• Are adequate safeguards in place for sharing sensitive policy information?

• Is there any adverse impact on the state government’s sovereign policy-making process?

This intervention by the RJD MP — known for his pro-poor and farmer stance — underscores a broader debate: where lies the difference between technical support and policy influence, and how Indian governments should balance global expertise with sovereignty.

It is worth recalling here that the name of Bill Gates surfaced multiple times in the Epstein files released by the United States Department of Justice.

According to one note attributed to Epstein, he claimed to have helped Gates obtain medication “to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls” — an assertion Gates has strongly denied. While Gates stepped down from the chairmanship of Microsoft in 2014, he is heading the board of the Gates Foundation — his philanthropy project which he ran with now estranged wife Melinda.