Chief minister Nitish Kumar at a function to celebrate Bihar’s centenary in New Delhi on Sunday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

New Delhi, March 18: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today used the centenary celebration platform in the national capital to declare that the state’s time to rise and reach the top had arrived.

“Bihar had slipped down because of some reasons. But the wheel of time has turned and once again it will reach the top,” Nitish said amid loud applause from the gathering at the Coronation Ground of Burari in New Delhi.

Although Nitish sought to talk about Bihar getting to the top in terms of development, the political connotation was not lost on the crowd, coming at a time when the rise of regional parties is being talked about, based on the results of the five state elections.

It is no secret that Nitish, like many other regional satraps, is eyeing the country’s top post anticipating a fractured mandate in the next general elections. He is said to have already started the effort to position himself independent of the BJP.

On his part, the chief minister tried to keep politics out of the event and showcase it solely as a state government function. No political heavyweights in Delhi, not even JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav or BJP leaders from Bihar, were invited to the event.

The move was construed as an effort by Nitish to only project himself before the strong Bihari population in Delhi. “Since it is a Bihar centenary celebration, Bihari political leaders cutting across party lines should have been invited,” said a BJP leader.

Seeking not to pay heed to these charges, Nitish harped on the “Bihari pride” while stressing how his government had restored it through “good governance” in the state. “Earlier, Bihari used to be an abuse. People from the state used to conceal their identity. Now they feel proud to call themselves Bihari,” he said.

Nitish felicitated around 20 Biharis for excellence in their respective fields. Notable among them were former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, renowned historian D.N. Jha, journalist Prem Shankar Jha and former cricketer Saba Karim.

While recognising the achievements of these Biharis, the chief minister sought to laud the common people from the state settled in the national capital. “If the people of Bihar decide not to work for one day, Delhi will come to a standstill. We have as much a right over Delhi as anyone else,” he said, earning a roaring applause.

Nitish said his government had started to celebrate March 22 — when Bihar was carved out from the Bengal presidency — as “Bihar Day”. “Earlier nobody cared about when Bihar was born. Our government started celebrating this day and it is more special this time as we compete 100 years of statehood,” he said, adding that the centenary celebrations would take place across the country.

“But I don’t think Bihar’s history is just 100 years old. I believe, Bihar’s history is the country’s history,” he declared, once again getting the crowds to chant “Nitish Kumar ki jai” and “Jai Bihar”.