Ravi Shankar Prasad bats for fresh assembly elections in Bihar

VARANASI: In the wake of ongoing political crisis in Bihar, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today batted for a fresh assembly elections in the state saying polls were needed for a stable and better governance for the people there.

"There is a necessity of an early assembly elections in Bihar for the deliverance of an honest and better governance for the people there," the Union minister for Communications and IT said while launching the Wi-Fi service for the Dashaswamedh and Shitla Ghats here.

The minister said, "We would like to see how Nitish Kumar while taking support from Lalu Prasad, will deliver a good governance, and stop the return of the Jungle-Raj. The people of Bihar are not going to be influenced by their drama."

Prasad, however, refused to comment on the internal matter of JD(U) over the chiefministership and said that the BJP has no involvement in the ongoing crisis.

Asking the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to provide land for setting up a software technology park in Varanasi along with other parts of UP, Prasad said if the state government would provide the required area of land or a built area then his ministry was ready to start the software technology park right from the next day.

Prasad said an extension center of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) Gorakhpur was going to be soon setup in Varanasi for which the Union HRD ministry has already agreed in principle to provide two acre land available at Banaras Hindu University.

He said by March end six more ghats of Varanasi will become Wi-Fi zone and BSNL will manage these services. He also inaugurated the first ATM in Varanasi of the Indian Post Office here saying that the Indian Post Office was heading towards modernisation under the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

"Sarnath in Varanasi, Taj Mahal in Agra and Fatehpur Sikari of UP and other prime tourist spots of country, including Khajuraho, Konark temple, Humpy in Karnataka, Mahabalipuram and Tanjore will also be equipped with the wi-fi facility by March end.

Prasad at a press conference also dismissed any future plans for the privatisation of BSNL.

He said that everyone is aware of the condition of BSNL that has happened in these last 10 years (of UPA regime), now efforts are being made to improve the condition of BSNL as soon as BJP-led NDA government was formed in the Centre.