Patna, April 7: Packaging is the buzzword in political circles a day after Union finance minister Arun Jaitley convened a meeting in Delhi to discuss special package for Bihar.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar dubbed Monday's conference - attended by Union ministers and state BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and N.K. Singh - BJP's internal meeting. "It was a part of the BJP's packaging," he said, pointing out that Sushil Modi had not attended the all-party meeting he had convened to decide on the special package to be demanded from the Centre.

Sharing the details of the meeting in Delhi, Sushil Modi said: "There were no talks about the volume of money to be given. About 13 Union ministers attended the meeting in which what could be given to Bihar was discussed. It was the first meeting held by Jaitley in the background of what he had announced in Parliament in his budget speech. The final decision on the quantum of the special assistance would be decided later."

Nitish shot back that the briefing of the Union finance minister was political. He pointed out that several projects discussed - like the Ultra Mega Power Project and a parallel bridge over Ganga in Mokama - were cleared by the previous Union government. "Nevertheless, I am happy that Bihar will get something," Nitish said, sticking to his stand of special status to Bihar.

Nitish had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his wish list estimated to be over Rs 1 lakh crore in Delhi. After giving a patient hearing, Modi assured Nitish that he would look into the demands.

"It has come to our knowledge that the Prime Minister called secretaries of the departments concerned within 48 hours of the meeting and had a detailed discussion on Bihar. It is at the initiative of the Prime Minister, the finance minister is holding these meetings," said a senior JDU leader.

When Narendra Modi had come to Bihar in 2013 to kick-off the poll campaign from Hunkar Rally in Patna, the state BJP had presented him a memorandum demanding Rs 50,000 crore as economic package and special status to Bihar if he became the Prime Minister. Ever since he became the Prime Minister, Nitish and his followers had been taunting the Modi government for neglecting Bihar and forgetting his Lok Sabha promises.

After the implementation of the 14th Finance Commission, there was a war of words between Nitish and the BJP on the gains and losses of Bihar.

In is not merely a coincidence that the talks on special package to the state has warmed up at a time when the merger of the JDU and the RJD is imminent and the united force of Lalu Prasad and Nitish may throw a serious challenge to capture power in Bihar. "Elections are fought in Bihar on caste combinations. We are working on that front. But we need the big-bang - an additional attraction for the voters on the economic benefits the state would get if we are voted to power," said a senior BJP leader, pointing out that it would be beneficial for Bihar to have the same party in power in the state and the Centre.

"The state and the central governments have been of different political parties right from 1990, pushing the development to the backseat. The announcement of major doles by the Centre will take the wind away from Nitish Kumar on the development plank," he added.