CM's demand for special status for Bihar pressure tactics: Tejashwi

Bihar's opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's fresh demand for a special category status for the state is part of the pressure politics against its ally BJP, which is in power at the Centre.

"You have stolen our mandate and now you are trying to play pressure politics against the Bharatiya Janata Party over our old demand for the special category status to Bihar," the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader tweeted.

Tejashwi said people were aware that Nitish Kumar had been gearing up to change sides again.

"He is keen to prove that he has been working for Bihar's development. He is looking for a chance to walk away from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance," he said.

"But the truth is that he is concerned about his vote bank and his seat," he added.

The Chief Minister on Tuesday raked up the old demand for the special status to Bihar and asked the 15th Finance Commission to locate resource gaps and support backward states like Bihar in their efforts to catch up with the developed states.

Tejashwi questioned Nitish Kumar for writing a note to the Finance Commission to demand the special category status.

"It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had promised to grant special status category to Bihar," he said.

Earlier this month, the ruling Janata Dal-United expressed displeasure over the central government's attitude towards Bihar and accused it of injustice to the state, including not granting the special category status.

In March, Nitish Kumar said that he had not given up the demand for special status "even for a second" since he first raised it in 2005.

--IANS

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