Patna,(BiharTimes): The former deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, on Saturday claimed that the economic growth rate of Bihar had slowed down by nearly half in the last one year.

Against 15.05 per cent in 2012-13 the growth rate in 2013-14 is only 8.82 per cent, he said quoting from the report of Central Statistics Office (CSO) released on March 1.

Modi, who also held the portfolio of finance when the BJP was in the state government, said it was a matter of grave concern that the growth rate had halved in just one year at a time when Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have recorded impressive growth.

Attributing this decline to the snapping of ties with the BJP and dismissal of its ministers Modi said that it had exposed the chief minister Nitish Kumar’s claim that there has been no adverse impact on governance in Bihar since he sacked the BJP ministers from his government on June 16 last.

Modi said that development has been a big casualty since June 11 last. He accused Nitish of destablising his own government by parting ways with the BJP.