Tejashwi takes jibe at Nitish over Bihar special status issue

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav today took potshots at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of using the issue of special status for the state as his "pet political mileage cow".

In a series of tweets, Yadav, the leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, alleged that Kumar had "opposed" grant of special status to the state upon its bifurcation in 2000.

"RJD has been vociferously raising the demand of special status since bifurcation of Bihar. Nitish Kumar opposed it.... He has used the issue as his pet political mileage cow! Raises it to raise his political prospects, forgets when the pasture is green!" Yadav wrote.

The RJD heir apparent claimed in another tweet that both Kumar's JD(U) and his ally BJP, "pretend to support the demand for spl status for Bihar", but neither could explain "what is stopping" Bihar from getting "much demanded, much deserved special status and special package".

Kumar has been raising the demand for special status to Bihar ever since he became the chief minister in 2005, ousting from power the RJD, which is headed by Yadav's father Lalu Prasad.

Opposition parties have been attacking Kumar on the issue, as the BJP-led NDA is in power both at the Centre and in the state.

The criticisms have grown stronger in the wake of the recent developments in Andhra Pradesh, where the ruling TDP pulled out of the NDA demanding special status for the southern state.