Only days after expressing solidarity with the NDA at its Ludhiana rally, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has set the political waters churning once more with his statement that Bihar parties should make ?special status for Bihar? their basis for support to a new government at the Centre.
At the launch of a book on Special category status: A case for Bihar, by the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), the Bihar CM said: ?Irrespective of who comes to power at the Centre, Bihar political parties should make special status to the state their basis of support (to new government). This (possible fractured mandate) is a good opportunity and parties supporting the new government must put forward the demand of special status for Bihar forcefully.?
Nitish Kumar has often talked about the ?step-motherly treatment to Bihar by the Centre? and cited the example of the Centre not releasing the special Kosi package for the state.
Later, clarifying his statement to the media, Kumar said he had not spoken about his party’s support to non-NDA parties. ?I have appealed to all parties to come together and give priority to the special status demand.?
Political parties can ask this time ?aap (special status) dete hai ki nahi (Will you give us special status or not),? he said, playing down media questions on his ?renewed tilt towards the UPA?.
However, politicians cutting across party lines have starting calling it part of ?a well-thought? strategy by Nitish Kumar.
A senior Congress leader asked: ?What was the urgency for the book release on the topic today??
The BJP, however, said the media had ?overread? the matter. BJP national spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said: ?Just like too much was read into the Rajnath Singh-Amar Singh meeting at a private function, the media seems to have got the context of Kumar’s statement wrong.?