The Telgu Desam Party’s rigid stand over demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Bihar leaders, including the ruling alliance partner JD(U), have also started reviving their old demand for similar status to Bihar. This might not go down well with the BJP which has already turned down such demands and instead offered special package. Even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the architect of this demand, has not made any comment some of the leaders of his party have come out in support of Chandrababu Naidu and asked Centre to meet their demand.
A day after Andhra CM Naidu’s decision to pull out of Centre’s NDA Government in protest, JD(U) leaders here reiterated their demand. Bihar building construction minister Maheshwar Hazari said on Thursday, “Ours is an old demand. Bihar should get special category status.” He also claimed that Nitish would soon meet the PM on this issue very soon. A similar statement also came from sidelined JD(U) leader Pavan Kumar Varma, once Nitish’s close confident, but the party in no time distanced itself from Varma’s views.
JD(U) general secretary KC Tyagi said, “We agree with a part of what Mr Pavan Verma has tweeted out. Special category status is essential for the development of Bihar. However, JD(U) is not dissatisfied or angry when it comes to NDA . It was his personal view.”
However Bihar JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said, “Demand of special status to Bihar is a unanimous decision of the state legislature. Our demand is still active. Bihar development is our prime focus.”
Calling Nitish “spineless”, his former deputy and now leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav hit out at the CM. He said, “Nitish should take a lesson from Naidu. If PM Narendra Modi and Centre rejects this demand, the CM should resign and break alliance with the BJP on the call of his conscience. Kuch toh himmat dikhaye chacha ji (Uncle please show some courage).
lalu Prasad who is in jail in Ranchi tweeted, “Why Bihar is not getting special category status when at Centre and in Bihar NDA is in powerIJ If Nitish does not want this status for Bihar or BJP does not want to accord this statusIJ Tell the people clearly why this demand is not met and who is responsible for it.”
In another tweet lalu commented, “How many coins Bihar got after PM Modi announced Rs 1.65 lakh crore economic packageIJ Himmat hai toh batao kitna milaIJ (Tell us, if you have courage, how much Bihar got. Dhela nahi mila dhela (Not even a penny came).”
Bihar’s demand for special category status is over a decade old when Nitish launched a public campaign, millions of signatures were collected and presented to the President, the CM sat on ‘Upvas’ (fast), held two mega rallies in Patna and Delhi and hammered the UPA Government constantly. But during the last seven months after the JD(U) realigned with the BJP after parting ways with RJD of lalu Prasad, this demand was put on backburner.
This demand was so close to the heart of Nitish that he even declared during 2009 general election to support any party which agreed to fulfil this demand. He made this sensational gesture towards Congress even when he was in NDA. Sensing that BJP was not so excited on this issue he held rallies of only his party without seeking support of his ally BJP.