Patna, Sept. 24: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the latter’s stand clear on Union home minister P Chidambaram’s role in the 2G controversy.

“It’s still not clear what kind of note Chidambaram had, during his tenure as the finance minister, sent to the PM (on the 2G spectrum allocation). The controversy has sent wrong signals to the people of the country and the PM must make his stand clear on the row,” Kumar said.

“Whatever has happened during the term of the UPA-2 is gradually getting exposed. Various kinds of deals were made. And people are now realising what sort of deals they were,” he added.

Kumar’s comment comes on a day when the BJP said Chidambaram’s place was in the same cell of Tihar jail where former telecom minister A. Raja was at present lodged. Party leader Yashwant Singh said the Supreme Court should order a probe into the “role” of both the PM and Chidambaram, when the latter was the finance minister, in the 2G spectrum allocation.

BJP leaders in Bihar have also upped their ante against Chidambaram. State BJP president C.P. Thakur said, “Chidambaram should resign from the Manmohan Singh ministry. He should follow the principle of transparency, maintain a clean image and resign without any further delay.”

Kumar also took a dig at the Planning Commission, saying, “I really don’t understand what kind of think-tank the commission has. Is it possible to have a day’s meal for Rs 32? It will certainly cost more. I would suggest that let the Planning Commission members show how to live on Rs 32 a day.”

In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Planning Commission had said that families spending over Rs 32 a day in urban areas and Rs 26 a day in rural areas will not be entitled to benefits meant for families belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.

The chief minister said, “The Centre has not done justice to Bihar by putting the total number of BPL families in the state at 65 lakh. According to a recent survey, the state has 1.50 crore BPL families. I would rather propose the Centre to set up an independent commission such as the Election Commission to conduct surveys on a timely basis. “

On the support that he has got from Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, Kumar said, “I am happy that the minister has decided to consider the proposal because there is a need of an independent panel that should identify BPL families after studying various socio-economic factors.”

Ramesh had backed Kumar’s proposal that an independent panel should conduct BPL surveys.

On the other hand, the chief minister today announced a Rs 50-crore financial assistance for the khadi industry. Addressing the two day Rashtriya Khadi Gramudyog Sammelan held at AN Sinha Institute, Kumar said: “As Bihar has entered the 100th year, the government will give 20 per cent discount on all khadi products instead of the usual 10 per cent rebate on October 2.”