Patna, May 13: The divide within the NDA exploded into the open yet again today with Nitish Kumar reposing faith in finance minister P. Chidambaram’s assurances on according special status to the state even as ally BJP scoffed at the Centre’s promises as “eyewash”.
“Chidambaram’s declaration to constitute a sub-committee headed by the Prime Minister’s chief economic adviser, Raghuram Rajan, to determine the new criteria for assessing backwardness and according special category status to deserving states was quite specific and categorical,” Nitish told reporters on the sidelines of his weekly janata durbar.
The chief minister asserted that the battle for special category status had reached a “decisive phase” as Bihar was set to qualify for it under the new criteria being worked out.
Around the time Nitish was expressing optimism over his pet demand, his ally struck a different chord and dismissed Chidambaram’s overtures as “downright eyewash”.
“What Chidambaram has stated is downright eyewash aimed at fooling the people of the state,” BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said. He warned his ally of 17 years not to fall into the Congress’s trap. “The Congress stands thoroughly discredited. Anyone boarding Congress’s sinking boat will sink too,” Hussain said.
When pointed out that Chidambaram had specifically talked about the constitution of the Rajan committee to revisit the criteria to determine backwardness, the BJP MP delved into the past to back his stand. “Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had mooted a proposal for the uplift of backward states way back in 1985,” Hussain said. “That proposal is lying in cold storage for nearly 30 years. Now, Congress leaders are talking about new proposals.”
Hussain concurred with Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi that only the NDA was in a position to accord special category status to Bihar. “The NDA will have in its election manifesto a well-etched out plan to accord special category status to the eastern states that are lagging behind on the indices of development,” he said.
Ever since the projection of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as a potential prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections, the JD(U) and the BJP have been at odds on a motley of issues, sparking speculation about Nitish’s growing proximity to the Congress.
Even today, Nitish took pains to distance himself from his alliance partner’s views regarding the Centre. “The committee to revisit the criteria will be put in place soon,” the chief minister asserted, pretty much echoing what Chidambaram had said on Saturday during his visit to the state. “It will give its report within a month. Bihar will certainly qualify for special category status under the new criteria.”
Asked about the BJP’s contrasting views on the subject, Nitish had a word of advice for his ally. “Special category status is not a political issue,” he said. “It should not be seen through the political prism. It is a popular demand of the state.” But he kept a safety hatch open, issuing a warning to the Centre not to take him for granted. “It can become a potent political issue if the Centre does not accord the status ahead of the 2014 elections.”
The chief minister reeled off figures to buttress his point of Bihar’s backwardness. The state, he said, had fallen far behind the per capita national average in terms of income, investment, basic infrastructure, railway tracks and highways and human development.
The per capita electric power consumption in the state stood at 122 units against the national average of 726 units.
