RJD MPs protest outside Parliament demanding special status for Bihar

New Delhi [India], August 9 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MPs protested outside the Parliament on Friday, demanding special status for Bihar.

While speaking to ANI, RJD MP Misa Bharti demanded an apology from PM Modi for not fulfilling his promise of a special package for Bihar, stating that the current assistance is insufficient.

“At one time, Nitish Kumar was also demanding the same. Today, there is a double-engine government in Bihar. During his visit to Bihar, the PM had said that a special package would be given to the state. But now the PM doesn’t remember what he had said before. The current assistance given to Bihar is less. In some way or the other, the people of Bihar have been cheated. The PM should apologize to the people of Bihar,” Misa Bharti told ANI.

The protest follows the central government’s rejection of JD(U)’s request for ‘special category’ status for Bihar.

Union Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, has said that special status cannot be granted to Bihar as per the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) report 2012.

Chaudhary explained, “Special status is only given to states with unique challenges like hilly terrain, low population, or economic struggles.”

“The Special Category Status for plan assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some States that were characterized by a number of features necessitating special consideration. These features included (i) hilly and difficult terrain, (ii) low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population, (iii) strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, (iv) economic and infrastructural backwardness and (v) non-viable nature of State finances,” Chaudhary said.

“The decision was taken based on an integrated consideration of all the factors listed above and the peculiar situation of the State. Earlier, the request of Bihar for Special Category Status was considered by an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) which submitted its Report on March 30, 2012. The IMG came to the finding that based on existing NDC criteria, the case for Special Category Status for Bihar is not made out,” Chaudhary said on Monday.