Centre will have to consider special status for Bihar: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Buoyed by reports that the Centre was favourbly disposed to consider incentives for Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today exuded confidence that it will have to consider his special status demand as it has been 'articulated on solid reasons'.

"There is strength in our logic that the Centre should grant special status to Bihar in view of its economic backwardness," he told reporters while reacting to media reports in this regard.

"In the end, the Centre will have to consider the special status demand for Bihar in view of our reasoning for the same," Kumar said.

The chief minister, however, downplayed reports which claimed the Centre may change the criteria for grant of special status to the states to accomodate Bihar's aspiration before the next general elections and said there was nothing new in the reports.

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram had spoken about revisiting the criteria for special status in his budget speech in a follow-up action to similar pronouncements in the economic survey report, Kumar said and described the reports in this regard as consistent with the Centre's stand.

Kumar said Bihar and other backward states should be granted their due rights to join the bandwagon of development and urged the Centre to walk the talk and fulfill promises made by Chidambaram in his budget speech and the economic survey report.

"The Centre will be compelled to consider our demand in the end," he said claiming he was on a sound footing in making the special status demand.

The chief minister has been raising pitch on the special status demand for Bihar and reportedly bargaining with UPA government on the issue by holding out promise to support it during crisis to its survival.

Kumar had held an impressive public meeting in New Delhi earlier this month and demanded special status for Bihar in view of economic backwardness.