BJP, JD-U join hands for spl status to Bihar

Friends-turned-foes, the BJP and JD-U, on Thursday joined hands in accusing the Centre of cheating by going back on its assurance of granting special status to Bihar.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, JD-U MP Rajiv Ranjan Lalan claimed that the Centre was not granting special status to Bihar because of political reasons. He contended that the Raghuram Rajan Committee had identified Bihar as the second least developed state.
JD-U members, who were shouting slogans in the well, staged a walkout immediately after Lalan finished speaking on the issue.

BJP member Shahnawaz Hussain said “great injustice” has been done by the Centre by delaying the decision to grant special status to Bihar.

Hussain’s suggestion that the special status tag would be granted by Narendra Modi after he becomes prime minister, evoked strong reactions from RJD MP Raghuvansh Prasad and Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam.JD-U president Sharad Yadav wanted Finance Minister P Chidambaram to make a statement on the issue.

Chidambaram said the Rajan Committee report had no reference to any particular state. He said the panel had made suggestions on the norms for distribution of Central funds other than the allocations made by the Finance Commission and the Planning Commission.
The norms suggested by the panel has been circulated among ministries concerned for suggestions.