Bijendra Yadav also threw light on the ‘difference between words and actions’ of Lalu Prasad. (file)
Patna:
A fresh demand for granting special status to Bihar was raised inside the Assembly on Friday by a key aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is now in the BJP-led NDA.
Power Minister Bijendra Yadav, presenting his department’s budget before the House, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill the long-standing demand or at least consider providing a “special economic package” to the state.
“I request the Prime Minister through this House to consider giving special status or special economic package to Bihar. We have achieved a lot with our limited resources. Many people have been lifted out of poverty. But a lot still remains to be done. There is immense potential in the power sector in the state as three sources of energy, water, wind and sunlight, are available in abundance here,” said Mr Yadav, the senior-most minister in the state cabinet. Said.
Notably, this is the first time that the demand for special status has been raised since JDU president Nitish Kumar returned to the BJP-led NDA a month ago. Nitish Kumar has been raising this demand since becoming the Chief Minister in 2005.
However, the Modi government has argued that granting special category status is no longer possible as the 14th Finance Commission had struck down the provision when the Congress-led UPA ruled at the Centre.
Nitish Kumar, who was with the India Bloc before returning to the NDA, had during that time revived the demand with renewed vigor and sought special category status not only for Bihar but “all backward states” if the anti-BJP alliance came to power. Had promised to give.
When Mr Yadav, a former JD(U) state president, raised the demand, those sitting next to him included Nitish Kumar as well as Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both senior BJP leaders.
Mr Yadav, who is said to have played a key role in forming JD(U)’s short-lived alliance with RJD, also took the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction against the rival party.
Referring to former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav without naming him, the minister said, “He wants to take credit for the jobs given during the period when the grand alliance was in power. But he has a problem with Nitish Kumar getting credit.” ” For changes in the power sector.” He said, “The Constitution clearly says that the Council of Ministers is to aid and advise the Chief Minister. Therefore, whether it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Center or Nitish Kumar in Bihar, he should be given credit for the achievements under his leadership.” Yadav ji.
Mr Yadav also now objected to opposition leader Tejashwi’s use of the derogatory term “paltimar” (turncoat) for Nitish Kumar and reminded the RJD scion of the track record of his father Lalu Prasad, who is the party president.
Mr Yadav said, “He should remember that he became deputy CM twice, not because of his father, but because of Nitish Kumar. His mother might have been the beneficiary of his father’s blessings, but that was not the case in his case.” , in an apparent reference to Lalu Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi, who succeeded her husband as chief minister in 1997.
Mr Yadav also highlighted the “gap between words and deeds” of Lalu Prasad, who “had fought against the Congress in the 1995 assembly elections but resorted to its support to save his government after the formation of the RJD two years later.” took.” Notably, the RJD came into existence as a result of the split in the Janata Dal by Prasad, who was facing imminent defeat at the hands of late socialist leader Sharad Yadav in the organizational elections.
The Bihar Reorganization Bill, which cleared the way for the formation of the tribal state, was passed in November 2000, months after assembly elections in undivided Bihar resulted in a hung assembly and Rabri Devi formed a new government with fresh support from the Congress. Which made RJD agree for the creation of Jharkhand.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
