Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s demand for special status to his State grew louder on Sunday with Kumar hinting at new political equations after the 2014 General Elections. Addressing a massive ‘Adhikar Rally’ at Ramlila Maidan in the Capital, he warned the Centre to address the demand of lakhs of Biharis or they would uproot the Government in the next lok Sabha election.
“Either you (Centre) give special status now or you will have to give it after 2014. You will have to accept the demand in circumstances that will arise after 2014 polls. Only those who feel and act for the backward or the backward States will occupy the seat of power in Delhi.” He threatened that people of Bihar will not rest in peace till they get special status for the State.
“Those in power in Delhi should be careful. We have come forward to seek our rights. Time has come to bring together people of all backward regions so that the real development of the country can be ensured,” he said.
Kumar demanded that the Centre should change the criteria to give special status to Bihar or any other backward States. He suggested that any State whose per capita income or expenditure, human development index are lower than national average should be given special status. He also referred to Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s Budget 2013-14 speech in Parliament noting that it talked about the need to revisit the criteria for granting special category status to backward regions. “If you see the per capita income, we are just a little more than one-third of national per capita income and have the lowest per capita income in the country. Roads, railways, and other infrastructure are below average. The per capita expenditure for development is half of national average. All human development indices are lower. We have been told that we do not meet all qualifications for getting special status. If we get special status after changing the criteria, Bihar can also become one of the developed States in the country,” he said.
Taking a dig indirectly at the ‘much-hyped’ Gujarat model of development formulated by Narendra Modi, Kumar said Bihar has presented the ‘real model’ for inclusive development as he also recounted the various steps taken by his Government for benefit of the students and other sections. He accused the Centre of refusing to give rehabilitation funds for Kosi flood victims and also constant refusal of the Government in the past to accord special status to the State. “We knocked at every door from that of the Prime Minister to Planning Commission. What is the fault of BiharisIJ Why Bihar does not get the assistanceIJ We are not begging for something. We are seeking our rights. Does Bihar not have a right to developIJ We have been discriminated against,” Kumar said exhorting the people who had assembled in a large number to make the rally a success. He said there was a time when people in other cities used to look at Biharis with disdain and call them in a derogatory manner but the scene has now changed.
Speaking on the occasion, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav too accused the successive Governments at the Centre of ignoring the interest of the State. Terming it a ‘do-or-die’ battle for people of Bihar who have come to Delhi to demand special status, JD-U President Sharad Yadav said that Government should fulfill whatever it has promised regarding the special State issue. “When Bihar was divided in 2000 to create Jharkhand, the then NDA Government had promised to give full financial assistance to the State which it is yet to be granted,” Yadav said.
In a resolution passed at the rally, the party said, “The commitment in the Budget speech must now result in its urgent implementation. We seek a time-bound action to accord a special category status to Bihar. We resolve to continue our struggle till this quest for special status is attained”. A battery of JD(U) MPs, MlAs and Ministers in the Bihar Government were also present in the rally.