Nitish Kumar denies scuttling Rabri's demand for special status

MUNGER: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today again denied that he had ever scuttled the special status demand made Rabri Devi and taunted Lalu Prasad that being a powerful minister in the UPA-I he should have used his influence to get the demand met by the UPA government if it was not done by the NDA government.

"It's an absolute lie that I had got the special demand made by my predecessor scuttled," he told a public meeting at the Polo Ground in Munger district during 'Adhikar Yatra' in a rejoinder to the RJD supremo's claim.

Prasad being the powerful Railway Minister during the UPA-I could have wielded his influence in the corridors of power then to get special special for Bihar if he was really serious about the matter, Kumar said.

"If the RJD leader could use his influence in the UPA-I government to get the President's Rule imposed in Bihar in early 2005 then the grant of special status in Bihar was a small thing for him," he said in a stinging attack on his bitter political adversary.

He also accused Prasad of using foul language and practising disruptive politics and said that he could not match the latter's conduct and narrow political agendas and said that it was impossible for him to imbibe mannerism or lack of it of his rival in this lifetime.

The Chief Minister further took pot shot at the RJD supremo for pursuing family-oriented politics as he has been known to further interest of his brother in-laws' relatives and contrary to that he had no familiar interests to pursue.

"I have sincerely yearned for development of Bihar and pursued politics on development agendas," he said.