Centre cannot ignore voice of 100 million people: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: When thousands of hands will be raised at Gandhi Maidan during Adhikar Rally on Sunday in favour of the demand for special category status to Bihar, the Centre cannot ignore the voice of millions of people of the backward state, believes chief minister Nitish Kumar.

"The issue is now embedded in the mind and heart of over 100 million people of the state and it has united Biharis. Every section of the society has come around to support this demand because they have realized that special status is linked to a better future of next generation. This is not a political campaign but a mission," the CM said on Saturday, adding, "I am confident that Bihar will get justice with the backing of its 10.5 crore people."

Rejecting the objections of his rivals, Nitish said the demand for special category status was first raised in 2006 when the state legislature had passed a unanimous resolution and sent it to the centre. "Before that, all the parties had been demanding special package only," he said.

The state politicians and economists believe that Bihar has always been discriminated against, be it infrastructure development, industrialization, central allocation or other fronts. But the bifurcation of the state on November 15, 2000 made things worse as all the industries and mineral wealth of the state went to the newly created Jharkhand.

"Bihar has been compelled to demand special category status to overcome its backwardness," said JD-U MP from Patliputra, Ranjan Prasad Yadav. He squarely blamed the RJD supremo, Lalu Prasad, for the sorry state of affairs in Bihar. "The person who used to swear that Bihar could be bifurcated only over his dead body got a resolution passed from the state legislature for creation of Jharkhand in April 2000," he said. The state legislature's resolution was mandatory for the formation of a new state, as per Article 3 of the Constitution.