Nitish Kumar rules out rift among Bihar coalition partners

Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, ruled out rift among coalition partners in the State and added that each party had its own ideology and agenda.

Kumar pointed out that though they have different agendas and identities they would continue to work together as coalition partners, and said :" The coalition has been functioning for a long time but the coalition partners have their own unique identity. The political parties of the coalition have their own agenda and they work in a particular direction. Their program or agenda remains in place."

He added that since he was chosen as the leader by the legislative body of the National democratic Alliance, he would ensure that he acted in a just manner.

"NDA (National democratic alliance) has not disintegrated. The JDU (Janata Dal United) and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are working as a coalition and the legislative body of the NDA has selected me as their leader. Hence I am the leader for everyone and till the time this responsibility is entrusted on me, irrespective of the attitude of the person before me, I will ensure that justice prevails," said Kumar.

Bihar is still India's most impoverished state: landlocked, not blessed with resources and prone to catastrophic flooding, its annual per-capita income of about $400 is just a third of the national average.

Its 104 million overwhelmingly farm-dependent people have India's worst literacy rate and the lowest proportion of households with electricity, and the state scores miserably on the U.N.'s Human Development Index.

It's hard to imagine that in ancient times Bihar was the centre of the flourishing Magadha empire and the region where the Buddha lived and attained enlightenment.

Recently the decision for the Prime Ministerial candidate has been a bone of contention between the two coalition partners, the Janata Dal United and the main opposition the Bharatiya Janata Party with the latter planning to project chief of India's western state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi as the their candidate.

It has been pointed out that the state's dismally low income level has grown 250 percent since Nitish Kumar took the helm, more than double the national average.

The growth of its economy has surged into double figures to become India's second-fastest growing state, driven by hefty public spending on roads and buildings and rapid expansion in services such as hotels and restaurants.

Nitish Kumar has done much more than bring growth. Working hard for the past seven years, he has declared war on crime and corruption, introduced an act that gives citizens the right to efficient public services, launched new road-building projects, empowered women and promoted education, offering a free bicycle to every girl that registers in a Grade 9 class.