Patna: LJP president Ramvilas Paswan on Monday
accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "dramatising" the
move to secure special category status for the state by
obtaining signatures of 1.25 crore people.
"Nitish has enacted a drama over the issue of securing a
special state status to Bihar," Paswan told reporters here.
Paswan said had the erstwhile NDA government desired, the
demand would have been met way back in 2002.
"I ask Nitish Kumar to explain to people what has
prevented him from raking up the issue at that time when he
was a powerful minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet,"
he said, adding Nitish preferred to sit idle as it would have
given the benefit to the RJD at that time.
Charging Kumar with "hyping development" in Bihar, LJP
leader wondered if the growth rate of Bihar was largest after
Gujarat, why the per capita income in Bihar "has been the
lowest".
Releasing a booklet on the Economic Survey 2010-11 on
Bihar, Paswan said "the government's economic survey is an
elaborate tale of Nitish's failures."
The fate of the Rs 280-crore MPLAD hangs in balance for
the past one year because of alleged "recalcitrance" of Kumar
as the state government was demanding an additional fund of
six per cent to execute the scheme in Bihar, Paswan alleged.
He also rapped the state government for not transferring
any official, alleged to be involved in the Forbesganj police
firing that claimed four lives.
PTI
First Published: Monday, July 18, 2011, 18:21