Patna, July 11: Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) today lampooned chief minister Nitish Kumar’s desperate attempt to get the special category status for the state as nothing but “drama to fool” the people of the state.
“The signature campaign initiated by Nitish Kumar’s party in support of special status category is nothing but to hide his failures. Nitish knows very well that Bihar neither falls in that category nor fulfils the criteria for being accorded special state. This is an attempt by the Bihar government to put the Congress in the wrong box and create confusion among the masses,” BPCC president Mehboob Ali Quaiser said at a news meet at Sadaquat Ashram today.
He added: “Had it been possible to get the special status by simply carrying out signature campaign then Orissa and Rajasthan, which have been fighting for the status for many years, might have resorted to the same path.”
Party’s senior spokesman Prabhat Kumar Singh and media co-ordinator H.K. Verma accompanied Quaiser.
The BPCC chief suggested that the state government should first learn how to utilise the funds given to it under centrally sponsored schemes and then think of getting special state category. “Instead, the state could be given special package,” he suggested.
Citing examples, the party leader said that out of Rs 4,483.72 crore earmarked for Indira Awas Yojana in 2009-10, the government could spend just Rs 2,995.94 crore.
Similarly, under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, the state was supposed to complete 2,200km of road but it could barely build 412.32km.
The Congress, whose UPA government is mired in controversy because of its ministers becoming soft targets in corruption cases, has decided to take on the Opposition’s onslaught on issues of corruption and black money.
For this, BPCC would a hold a rally in the state capital where the party would put forth its views.
Quaiser said: “During party’s Burari (Delhi) session, party high com- mand Sonia Gandhi has directed all the states to hold a rally to inform people about the party taking steps to check corruption and bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks. We are going to organise a rally on July 14 at SK Memorial Hall and central ministers are expected to participate in the rally.”
