All backward states should get special status: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday raked up the issue of grant of special category status to Bihar once again and slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for “ignoring the backward states and indulging only in publicity stunts”.

“Bihar was not granted special category status despite all our efforts. Had this been granted, it would have ushered in progress and prosperity in the state,” Nitish said while addressing a function organized to distribute appointment letters among the Urdu translators and others.

The CM demanded grant of special category status to all backward states, and not only Bihar to make them compete with the developed states. He alleged the Centre was only indulging in “fake publicity” while nothing was happening on the ground.

In September this year, Nitish had raised similar demand but with a new twist. Instead of placing this demand before the Union government, Nitish had promised special category status to all backward states should the opposition alliance manage to form government at the Centre after the 2024 LS polls.

“If we get a chance to form the next government at the Centre, all the backward states will be granted special status. There is no reason why this can’t be done,” he had said.

Nitish came up with the demand of granting special category status to Bihar soon after he led the NDA to victory in 2005 assembly polls in Bihar, dethroning the 15-year-old RJD regime. His government handed over memorandums to the Centre over the issue and then in 2014, the JD-U, organized state-wide rallies in support of this demand which culminated in a mega rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan in November 2012. Later, he also held a rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan although this demand remains unfulfilled till date.However, such was the impact of this demand that several other states have now begun seeking special status. They include Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan. This followed after 11 states were granted special status which included Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

However, according to a statement given in the Lok Sabha by the minister of state for home affairs on December 11, 2018, “following the recommendations of 14th Finance Commission, the special category states cease to exist and thus, no special category status has been granted to any state”.