Nitish, Lalu hit out against Centre on smart city

Nitish Kumar called BJP ungrateful and Lalu Prasad said that he was in favour of smart villages

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish and RJD president Lalu Prasad today attacked the Centre for not selecting any city of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the list of 20 chosen for converting them into smart city.

"Bihar and UP gave 104 Lok Sabha seats to BJP to form its government at the Centre, but they are so 'Ehsaan pharamosh' (ungrateful) that no city of the two states figures in the list of 20 smart cities," Kumar said at a function here.

He said before election BJP had promised to create 100 smart cities. "But now we see it has come down to just 20, with none from either Bihar or UP."

Prasad, who was present at the function to begin work on a bridge over Ganga to connect Patna and Raghopur, pooh poohed the idea of smart city and said he was in favour of "smart villages".

Kumar said like Prasad, during election his 218 election rallies had spoken in favour of "smart villages".

He reiterated his government's commitment to ban liquor phase-wise from April 1. "Whatever country and spiced liquor is left will be burnt a night before April 1, when prohibition on the two would be total."

Referring to the law and order situation in the state, the chief minister said "rule of law is prevailing and will continue so."

"Everybody have been told in clear cut terms that rule of law is prevailing and law will take its own course," he said apparently referring to involvement of some people connected with coalition parties in law breaking.