Denial of special status to Bihar cruel joke, says Nitish

Kumar was reacting to Union Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh’s statement in Lok Sabha on July 31 that “There is no proposal as of now to grant special status to any state. There is a proposal to give special package.” 

“Their conscience is not clear,” he said.

Kumar, who would be the face of secular alliance in the coming assembly election, said his party would continue to play audio recording of Modi’s speech promising special category status, special package and special attention to Bihar when a BJP led government would be formed at the Centre. Kumar also took a jibe at the PM for flagging off a Patna-Mumbai Express which the Railway latter said will not be a regular train but will run only on demand from passengers.

“There cannot be a bigger joke than this,” Kumar said on flagging off Suvidha Express by the PM during his Patna visit on July 25 in which the CM was also present.

“Earlier we had heard about people standing in queue to board a train but this is for the first time we are hearing that people have to stand in queue to demand running of a train,” he said.

“Its the rarest of <g data-gr-id="36">rare</g> event. The train he flagged off would run only when people would place 

demand for it like they do to book a train for marriage or some other special occasion,” Kumar, who himself served as Railway minister during the AB <g data-gr-id="32">Vajpayee led</g> NDA regime, said. Kumar said he was waiting to see the announcements made by the PM regarding special package to Bihar.