This Article is From Mar 02, 2014

Nitish Kumar on bandh demanding special status for Bihar: highlights

Nitish Kumar on bandh demanding special status for Bihar: highlights
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is sitting on a dharna at Patna's Gandhi Maidan demanding special status for the state.

Here are the highlights of his speech:

  • I am thankful to everyone for coming here
  • I had announced that the bandh would be voluntary . And so we took out processions and we also beat utensils
  • This was a different kind of programme . We put forward our feelings
  • We made it clear we will not tolerate the injustice meted out to Bihar
  • We had a very successful march, and then a successful dharna too. I noticed that 70 percent people were here for the entire duration of the dharna
  • I wanted time from the Prime Minister for this, but he never gave us time . So we ran a signature campaign and then handed them to the prime minister
  • A committe was then formed. They did not listen to us properly . It seemed they had already decided against us
  • We had to use RTI to access this report. We found out the report said we should get help but Bihar can't be given special status.
  • We naturally opposed this and said if you can't use current standards then please change the parameters
  • I started an adhikar yatra. People wanted to sabotage my yatra. But I had to suspend my programme only for a day
  • Then, we held a rally on November 04 , 2012 at Patna and it was huge . And then in 2013 we had a rally at Ramlila Maidan and the turnout surprised even us
  • Then Delhi made another committee, the Raghuram Rajan committee We were accepted to be a part of the extremely backward states and the committee recommended extra help for us and other states
  • What does special category mean? Industries will get tax sops, hence our people will not need to go outside and the state will develop
  • Industrialisation is very important
  • If the state has more money to spare, we could use that for the betterment of rural Bihar
  • Those states who have got special status have developed. We have the highest growth rate in the country. Yet we need 25 years to match up to government standards
  • I have no idea why the Raghuram Rajan committee report was put into cold storage
  • Then we decided we will make special status an electoral issue
  • When Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, Seemandhra got special status in 24 hours. We have no objection
  • But when the government wanted, they gave the special status within 24 hours
  • But they are biased towards Bihar
  • It's a matter of self respect and pride for us
  • What parameters were followed for giving special category status to Seemandhra?
  • We will not tolerate this. So, we decided to call a bandh 
  • Everyone has a right to be anywhere in this country . Yet our poverty has become a matter of a joke
  • If the people of Bihar go anywhere, we contribute to the growth of that particular place
  • Why should we have to travel anywhere? I would like if everyone stays in Bihar
  • A lot of people will try to misguide you. When Seemandhra happened, the BJP was involved in getting special status too for the state.
  • But they remember us only for votes. Why didn't they ask for special status for Bihar then?


.