Narendra Modi has already promised spl package for Bihar: BJP

Rubbishing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's criticism of its manifesto for ignoring Bihar's special status demand, the BJP today reminded him that its prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi has categorically committed to providing special package to the state to tide over economic backwardness and bridge development deficit.
Modi had made a commitment to the people of Bihar to provide special package of Rs. 50,000 crore in addition to grant of special status while addressing the 'Hunkar Rally' at Patna on October 27 last year, the former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters in response to the Chief Minister's criticism of the BJP manifesto.

"We are not going back on our commitment to Bihar and appeal to the people to send all 40 NDA candidates to Parliament in the general elections underway so that Narendra Modi-led government comes to power and delivers his promise to our state," he said.
Modi clarified that the special status demand for Bihar or other state-specific issues were not required to be incorporated in the manifesto which, he said, outlined national objectives and mission of the party.
The former deputy chief minister said that only three states - Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and North-East and Seemandhra - have found place in the BJP manifesto due to pressing reasons, but as such state-specific issues generally do not find place in political parties' manifesto for general elections.

He said that his party's commitment for development of Bihar ran much deeper than the JD(U)'s and its manifesto as compared to sole demand of special status by the ruling party. The BJP would like to address issues like completion of pending infrastructure projects and industrial development to generate employment and ensure prosperity of the people.
On the JD(U)'s pot shot at the BJP for including contentious issues like the Ram temple construction at Ayodhya in its manifesto this time, the senior BJP leader said that his party had always incorporated these 'so-called' contentious issues in its agenda, but the estranged ally ignored the same for its own convenience in 17 years' duration of alliance between the two parties.

The contentious issues like the Ram temple, uniform civil code and scrapping of Article 370 of the constitution was always part of the BJP's national agenda, but not that of the NDA's common minimum programme, Modi said and slammed the Bihar Chief Minister and his party for conveniently keeping mum on such issues, Modi said.