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Patna, Aug 19 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday challenged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to explain with facts and figures that the central financial assistance provided to Bihar was more than it deserves.

"I challenge Sonia Gandhi to explain with facts and figures that Bihar was provided additional financial assistance from the centre other than it deserves as per the recommendation of the financial commission," Nitish Kumar said.

He was reacting to Gandhi's remarks earlier Thursday that Bihar had never received so much of financial assistance from the centre for development and welfare programmes as it has from the present Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"It is not true. Whatever financial assistance is coming to Bihar is as per the constitutional arrangement. It is a duty of the centre to provide financial assistance to states," Kumar said in his speech at the concluding address of the Janata Dal-United's two-day session in Rajgir in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar asserted that there is no truth in Gandhi's statement that Bihar's development work was the outcome of central funds.

Launching a scathing attack against the central government, Nitish Kumar said it was the right of states to receive funds from the centre. "Bihar used to receive funds during the previous NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government and during the UPA government. There was nothing special about it," he said.

The chief minister made it clear that the central government was not doing a favour to Bihar by providing financial assistance. "It is not a favour by the centre to provide financial assistance to Bihar as it deserves it," he said.

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