Patna, Feb. 23: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today described the recently concluded Global Summit on Changing Bihar as part of the external affairs ministry’s efforts to better ties with Nepal, which holds the “key” to sort out several ailments afflicting the state. He asked the Opposition to refrain from politicising the big event.

“You (Opposition), or for that matter the people of Bihar, should be proud that experts on policies and planning from across the globe and our own Union government converged here to give their suggestions. They appreciated the fact that Bihar is changing for better,” the chief minister said in the state Assembly.

He was replying to the Opposition’s charge that the government had misused public money on the summit.

“You should take notice of the fact that it was not carried out for the branding of my government. I was invited in New Delhi on the occasion of Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai paying a visit to India recently,” he said, adding it was great that Bhattarai inaugurated the summit.

He added: “You should appreciate that the Nepal PM landing here to inaugurate the global summit will add to the external affairs ministry’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between India and the Himalayan nation. And the tie up is crucial to Bihar.”

The chief minister said in no way the expense on holding the summit amounted to “squandering public money” for something unnecessary. “The people had lost hope that Bihar will ever improve. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report in 2005 stated that had Bihar been a separate country it would have been sixth from the bottom among the poor countries of the world. But the participation of so many experts on the planning and policy issues was indicative to the fact that the perception has changed. The experts are now optimistic that Bihar is on the path of progress.”

Striking an emotional note with the Opposition members raising a hue and cry over the “misuse” of funds in holding the summit, Nitish said: “I have never treated my government as the owner of the public money. We are simply the trustees of the money that actually belongs to the people. We are here to guard that money and serve the people.”

On the Leader of Opposition, Abdul Bari Siddiqqui and Congress legislature party leader, Sadanand Singh quoting industrialist Kumar Manglam Birla and planning commission member, Abhijit Sen on the shortage of power proving to be the main obstacle in industrialisation, Nitish said: “They were right in their observation. I have no qualms in admitting it.”

“But you should take notice of the fact that the state had zero power-generating capacity when I took oath as the chief minister in November 2005. Please simply appreciate the efforts that the government has made in six years in this direction despite the Centre not giving the required coal linkage and putting up other obstructions,” he said.

Taking a jibe at the Opposition’s charge on the shortage of power in the state, Nitish said: “We have no mechanism to tap the lightening and convert it into consumable electric power. It takes time. You should honestly look into the efforts that the government is putting up in making the state power sufficient. Have patience. You will see the result.”