Back February 28 stir and get support for March 2 bandh, BJP to Nitish Kumar

PATNA: With JD(U) and BJP launching separate agitations to protest the Centre's denial of special category status to Bihar like Seemandhra, BJP today said if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supported its 'rail roko' stir on February 28, it would also join his March 2 statewide bandh.

"The issue is the same. So if the CM and his party JD(U) supports BJP's 'Rail roko' on February 28, the party will also join his March 2 Bihar bandh to protest against the Centre's discriminatory approach on special category status," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said here.

The former deputy chief minister alleged that Kumar's decision to defer the bandh call by a day to March 2 seemed to be aimed at "disturbing" Narendra Modi's rally at Muzaffarpur on March 3 by disrupting road and rail traffic.

Kumar had at first called the bandh on March 1 but later decided to defer it by a day to March 2 considering the examinations in the state on the first day.

He also took a dig at Kumar for calling a bandh on a Sunday. "Major markets across the state remain close on Sunday. This will help Kumar claim success of the bandh."

Modi said his party has trashes the report of Raghuram Rajan committee defining afresh backwardness of states.

"Raghuram Rajan panel report has put Bihar in the crowd of 10 least developed states which leaves little scope for grant of special category status," Sushil Kumar Modi said.

"Bihar should have been placed in a separate category of disadvantageous states with one or two other states sharing similar backwardness," he said.

He criticised the CM for welcoming the report of Raghuram Rajan committee when his own representative in the panel Saibal Gupta had given a 10-page note of dissent protesting parametres adopted.

Moreover, the announcement of special category status for Seemandhra made it clear that "constitution of committee or its report is not required for getting special category status which in fact is decided on political considerations," Modi said.