Patna,(BiharTimes): Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday strongly criticized the Centre’s decision to give special category status to Seemandhra for five years and denying the same to Bihar. He regretted that Bihar did not get any such status after the creation of Jharkhand in November 2000.
It is other thing that none else but the Janata Dal (United) was a prominent constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance then. The Bihar Assembly, in an unanimous resolution, also sought package of Rs 179,000 crore, which the state never got. Besides, the then Rabri Devi government also sought the special category status for Bihar.
Nitish, who was on Thursday watching the proceedings of Lok Sabha on television in his chamber in the Assembly, rang up party MP, Rajeev Ranjan alias Lallan Singh, and asked him to raise the matter in the Lok Sabha.
It was only after this that the JD(U) members rushed to the well of the House to register the strong protest of the party.
Lallan Singh demanded an explanation from Union finance minister P Chidambaram on why Bihar is being deprived of this status.
He said the crucial meeting of the finance ministry scheduled for November 26 last year to decide on the special category status to Bihar was cancelled mysteriously. The finance minister must explain the circumstances under which he cancelled the meeting.
Here in Patna Nitish dubbed the Centre’s move as a cruel joke on Bihar, which was divided in 2000.
He said his party have been demanding the special category status for the last eight years. The Centre constituted the Raghuram Rajan panel, which has given a favourable report. Yet Bihar was not granted that status.