Bihar's development key to India's stride to become superpower: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Economic development of Bihar was the key to India's stride towards becoming a global superpower, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said reiterating his demand for granting special category status to the state.

"If the country has to become global economic superpower, Bihar must also develop in a big way and for that it requires grant of special category status to boost development," he said at a function.

The country cannot endeavour to march forward in terms of development and economic growth by ignoring aspiration of over 10 crore people of Bihar for development and prosperity, Kumar said.

The Chief Minister said that he launched a campaign for grant of special category status six years ago by adopting a resolution in the state assembly and his party collected signature of 1.25 crore people that was submitted to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the form of a memorandum to consider the demand for special category status.

He said that his party has not lost heart after the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) rejected the demand for special status.

Instead, he had launched a campaign to spread awareness about the benefits of special status.

A massive ' Adhikar rally' will be organized in Patna on November four next to put pressure on the Centre to consider the demand, he added.