Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said in the "interest of Bihar", he was ready even to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I would like to thank Narendra Modi for this wishes," Mr Kumar said soon after taking oath. "In the interest of Bihar, if I have to meet Mr Modi, I will do so."
The state government, he reiterated, will have to work with the Centre for the "welfare" of the state and the country. "We may be political opponents but in terms of development, we have to work in sync."
In an Op-ed written exclusively for NDTV.com hours before he took oath, Mr Kumar had mentioned the Special Category Status for Bihar, which he had been seeking since coming to power for the first time in 2005. But he had been repeatedly turned down by the erstwhile UPA government.
Today, he also sought more Central funds for the development of the state.
Mr Manjhi had insisted on hanging on to his post and in a surprise move, had stepped down hours before a trust vote on Friday after it became clear that even with BJP support, he would not be able to reach the halfway mark in Assembly.
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