Naqvi tells Nitish to avoid making Bihar package a political issue

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to avoid making the financial aid package for Bihar a political issue.

"We think instead of making the package a political issue, he should make it a part of Bihar's progress. He should stop making baseless comments and think of something positive," Naqvi told ANI.

Nitish Kumar had earlier slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'special package' for Bihar, saying it was 'propaganda' and accused him of creating hype without substance.

"We dissected the special package and found out the truth. It's nothing but a mere repackaging of old schemes, appropriation of pre-approved allocations for the old ones and continued contributions to ongoing schemes," Nitish had said in a recent press conference.

Prime Minister Modi on August 18 had announced an unprecedented Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar.

On Friday, Kumar responded with a Rs 2.70 lakh crore development plan for the next five years that would include free electricity and drinking connection to every household.

The seven-point plan specially focuses on youth, women, the unemployed, young entrepreneurs and infrastructure needs.