Modi government has come to power once again. But this year BJP has to form the government with the support of other parties. Now after coming to power, the issue of giving special state status to Bihar has once again heated up. In the meeting of the National Executive of Janata Dal United (JDU) held in Delhi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar once again placed this demand before the Center. He said that getting this special status is necessary for the economic development of Bihar. Nitish Kumar has adopted a soft stance towards the Center and has put forward two options. He demanded from the Modi government that Bihar should get the status of a special state, but if the status of a special state is not given then it would be better if a special package is given. As soon as Nitish Kumar gave these two options, discussions have started in the political corridors.
In the JDU national executive meeting, Nitish Kumar has appointed Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha as the party’s working president. Sanjay Jha has close relations with many BJP leaders. This year, Jha played an important role in bringing JDU back to NDA from Bharat Gathbandhan. Now by making him the number two leader in JDU, Nitish Kumar has indicated that he does not want any dispute with BJP before the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. After becoming the working president, Sanjay Jha has also made it clear that JDU will remain in NDA.
JDU has been demanding special status for Bihar for a long time. Six months ago, during the Nitish-led Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar, the state cabinet approved the proposal for special status and sent it to the Centre. However, later Nitish left the Mahagathbandhan and returned to NDA. Now again there is pressure on him to approve a similar proposal from his cabinet and send it to the Centre. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also made this demand from Nitish on Saturday.
Nitish Kumar fears that there could be a conflict between BJP and JDU over the demand for special status. In view of this, he has put forward two options before the Modi government. If they do not want to give special state status, then the Center should give a special package to Bihar. This will also make things easier for the Modi government, which has refused to give special state status on several occasions. If they get a special package, then JDU can also openly say that the Center has fulfilled their demands. In the upcoming Bihar elections, the public will be able to tell together about the performance of both BJP and JDU.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, appointed during the Lok Sabha elections, had said that if any state wants the status of a special state, then its suggestion should first come in the report of the Central Finance Commission. Only then will the central government think more about it. Till now no such notification has come from the Finance Commission. She said that in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore for Bihar. It is believed that the Modi government can announce a similar big package before the upcoming Bihar elections.
