Bihar: Special status demand triggers political slugfest

The ruling NDA in Bihar and the opposition Mahagathbandhan reportedly crossed swords on Friday over the demand for special status for the state which seems to have intensified ahead of the Parliaments budget sessionAccording to a PTI report the demand was first made soon after the creation of Jharkhand robbed the state of its mineral wealth though according to the centre the grant of special status is no longer possible since the provision was scrapped by the 14th Finance CommissionSenior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar whose party is a part of the opposition coalition in the state reportedly took potshots at the BJPJDU allianceShe said There could not be a greater irony that the BJP which rules the Centre is not accepting the demand raised by the JD U despite being dependent on the ally reported the PTIThe allusion was to the JD U headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar passing a resolution at its national executive meeting held last month seeking special category status or adequate assistance in the form of a special economic packageAccording to the PTI report the Congress leader also took a swipe at the JD U supremo and said The PM should show some respect for his ally who has realigned with him after ditching us and making umpteenth voltefaceThe CM who had helped in the formation of the INDIA bloc returned to the BJPled NDA in January this yearDeouty Lok Sabha speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha who belongs to the BJP was asked about a meeting in Delhi a day ago between Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Samrat Choudhary another Bihar Deputy CM who holds the finance portfolio and is understood to have submitted the states expectations from the upcoming budget before her reported PTIEvading a direct reply Sinha said The PM has made it clear that he wants a Viksit Bharat developed India That is possible only when Bihar too is developed All that is needed for the growth of each and every state will be doneAs per the news agency report state minister and senior JD U leader Shravan Kumar alleged that the demand for special status was ignored by the previous Congressled UPA government at the Centre and hoped that Modi would give Bihar its dueEarlier NDA partner Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas headed by Union Minister Chirag Paswan had also come out in support of the demand reported PTIThe partys MP Arun Bharti had told PTI Our party has been in support of special status in Bihar since the very beginning We are confident of some assistance in the form of either special status or a special packageMeanwhile the RJD which helms the Mahagathbandhan reportedly lashed out at the NDA claiming that the ruling coalition was trying to hoodwink the peopleAs per the PTI report RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said The BJP and the JD U share power in the Centre as well as in the state Yet instead of taking the necessary steps they are raising demands Do they think the people are foolsThe RJD leader whose party was ruling Bihar when it was bifurcated in 2000 pointed out that the demand for special status was first raised by the Rabri Devi governmentI do not wish to create much controversy by taking names But the NDA was in power at the Centre at the time and its leaders deliberately denied Bihar special status fearing that my party would get the credit claimed Bhai VirendraWith inputs from PTI