Tired of asking for special status for state, dropping demand: Bihar minister

PATNA: Bihar planning minister Bijendra Yadav on Monday said they were “tired” of asking the Centre for a special status for the state and were now dropping the demand.

The ruling Janata Dal (United) has been demanding the status of a special state for Bihar since 2012. It was a main political agenda of the party during the state’s assembly polls last year. The state legislature had in the past passed unanimous resolutions, asking for the special status to Bihar.

“We have dropped the demand for the status of a special state, as we are now tired of asking for it from the Centre. But now we are seeking special packages for all sectors,” Yadav, an influential member of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, said in his remarks on the government think tank’s 2020-21 report that ranked Bihar at the bottom of the table.

The RJD hit out at the JD(U) over Yadav’s remarks. “The Nitish Kumar government has bowed down before the BJP. It has no concern for development of Bihar and prosperity to its people. ,” said RJD chief spokesman and MLA Bhai Birendra.

Yadav also objected to the Niti Aayog’s way of ranking states based on the index of sustainable development goals (SDGs),

The state government had sent a memorandum to the Niti Aayog, asking for change in the way to evaluate progress, Yadav said.

“The state registered remarkable growth in 10 out of 15 SDG index as compared to last year. But there are some areas, which the state can’t compete with other states owing to its natural limitations, for which the state requires a special package,” the minister said.