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Patna,(BiharTimes): Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said the people of Bihar are of the view that the Centre was simply not interested to consider the special status category for Bihar.
Speaking at a programme organized by 'Prabhat Khabar' a local newspaper, fourth such function of media houses in 10 days, he said the Centre’s intention was not clear on the demand for grant of special status to Bihar though he had met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the said proposal five years ago. |
The Centre has simply not discussed the special status demand from Bihar at the National Development Council during recent years, he added.
The chief minister said that it was a known fact that Bihar had suffered huge financial losses arising out of bifurcation of state in 2000. He added that special assistance from the Planning Commission was a rightful claim of the state. Nitish recalled how the state legislature had in 2000 passed a unanimous resolution to press for demand for special package.
It needs to be recalled that the Bihar Assembly sought a package of Rs 1,79,000 crore as compensation when mineral-rich Jharkhand portion of the state was being carved out. It was backed by the then opposisiton parties––BJP and Janata Dal (United)––too but though the NDA was in power and Nitish himself the railway minister the state could not get the package. Later on the Manmohan Singh government failed to ensure that package though both Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan were ministers in the UPA-I.
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