Dancers perform at the Bihar Divas function at Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The development of the state has been a bee in chief minister Nitish Kumar’s bonnet for long and he did not allow it to rest even during the Bihar Divas celebrations on Thursday.

He used the platform of the state’s centenary celebrations to attack the Centre for “neglecting” Bihar and reiterated the demand for a special category status.

Addressing a 10,000-strong audience at the inaugural function of the three-day-long celebrations, Nitish said: “The people will ask their account from the Centre.”

His cabinet colleagues — Assembly Speaker UdayNarain Chaudhary and Legislative Council chairperson Tarakant Jha — shared the dais with Nitish. Senior JD(U) and BJP leaders also attended the function. Opposition leaders were, however, conspicuous by their absence.

Nitish also spoke of central coal policy and the agriculture roadmap that promises to usher in a rainbow revolution in the state. He said: “The cost of procuring coal has been rising as demand for natural resources has registered a steady hike. When the NDA took over the reins of the state in 2005, Bihar had zero generation of electricity. The government has worked hard and the results would be visible in a few years when the state would begin its own power generation.”

The chief minister pointed out that the state had planed for expansion of the Barauni Thermal power plant but the Centre was putting hurdles in its way. “In the 11th Five-Year Plan period, not a single coal linkage was provided to us. It seems nothing is in store for Bihar in the 12th plan either.”

The chief minister also said: “Our greatest strength is our human resource. We have not opened many factories in the state but we are working hard to ensure better living for people from all strata of society. This was how Mahatma Gandhi thought a society should be.”

Nitish also spoke about the Bihari diaspora. “A few years ago, people were ashamed to call themselves Bihari while working in oth-er states. Now, the perception has changed. People take pri-de in their Bihari identity.”

He said the increased pride of Biharis found its expression at the Burari Grounds in New Delhi, where thousands of people attending the centenary celebration. “People came to the event (on March 18) though it was a Sunday and an India-Pakistan cricket match was going on,” Nitish said.

The chief minister’s claim was not too far from the mark. Visitors to the grand event at Gandhi Maidan in the heart of Patna praised the function.

“Such functions are new in the state. This is a good development. It makes us proud,” said Bailey Road resident Niranjan Prasad.

Not everyone was dazzled with the bright lights and the speeches though. Danapur resident Sarita Devi told The Telegraph: “I have come specially for the Bihar Divas function but the food court is disappointing. It is not organised and no special dishes are available.”

Special gestures from the speakers were aplenty. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi started his speech with the slogan of “Jai Bihar”. He asked the audience to reciprocate the feelings by repeating the slogan.

Modi also said: “Though we don’t have natural resources such as coal or oil, we will script the rise of Bihar in this century. All of us should contribute to the growth of the state.”

The inauguration function was followed by cultural events in which students from city schools performed sequences composed by Bollywood choreographers. Udit Narayan and Richa Sharma added a mellifluous flavour to the evening’s celebrations.