Why hasn't Bihar been granted Special Category Status as promised: Cong asks PM

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Bihar, asking why hasn't the state been granted Special Category Status as promised and why are so many essential projects lying incomplete there.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bihar, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed four questions for him.

"Where are the promised airports for Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, and Purnea," Ramesh asked in his post on X.

"The PM promised an airport in Purnea on 18th August, 2015. Six years and three Nitish Kumar U-turns later, his government is yet to fulfil the promise," Ramesh said.

In a 2019 rally, Modi promised to open Patahi Airport in Muzaffarpur and in 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah also pledged to kickstart operations at the Patahi airport, while the BJP promised a fully operational airport by Diwali 2023, he said.

"However, an AAI ground team from March 2024 found that the land plot has broken boundary walls, and buffaloes roam the runway. What has the government been doing for 10 years? Muzaffarpur joins Purnia and Bhagalpur as cities that need and deserve airports, but under the Bharatiya Jumla Party, all they get is broken promises. Why has the PM repeatedly lied to the people of Bihar on this subject?" Ramesh said.

The Congress leader also asked why are so many essential projects lying incomplete in Bihar.

In 2015, the PM had famously promised a 1.25 lakh crore package to the people of Bihar, he said.

"Rs 54,713 crore of this package were earmarked for road and bridge projects. A number of national highways, bridges over the rivers Ganga, Sone and Kosi, and 12 railway overbridges were to be built. As per the information given by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, however, 27 of the 44 planned national highways are lying incomplete, while the remaining 17 haven't even received detailed projects reports (DPR)," Ramesh said.

In addition, not a single brick has been laid for the Central University at Vikramshila in Bhagalpur, he further said.

Even the Buxar thermal power plant, whose MoU was signed by the UPA in 2013, has been sidelined, Ramesh said.

After making such grand promises, why has the PM "shamelessly" neglected the people of Bihar, he asked.

Ramesh also questioned as to what has the Modi Government done to cultivate Bhagalpur's cultural heritage and tourist potential.

"Bhagalpur is one of Bihar and India's cultural hubs - famed for its textile productions, Manjusha paintings, and the birthplace of Lord Mahavira. All are victims of Government neglect. For instance, the Bhagalpur Regional Handloom Weavers Co-operative Union notes that between 2019 and 2024, the number of weavers fell from 2 lakh to 60,000. Business is down from Rs 600 crore per annum in 2015 to Rs 150 crore now," he said.

Workers are facing rising input costs, even as business is flailing, he claimed.

"Why has the Modi Government been missing in action for the last ten years? What steps has it undertaken to cultivate Bhagalpur's potential?" Ramesh said.

Why hasn't Bihar been granted Special Category Status as the PM had promised, he asked.

"In 2014, when campaigning for his current position, Mr. Modi effectively promised special category status for Bihar. As per the Centre's own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report, Bihar ranks as the poorest state in India, and 52 per cent of the state's population lacks access to requisite health, education, and living standards. In 2013, the Raghuram Rajan Committee recommended a new methodology for devolving funds that is based on a multi-dimensional index to account for a state's economic backwardness. Eleven years later, what is the Modi Sarkar waiting for?" he said.

Why has the PM forgotten the people of Bihar, Ramesh further asked.

After 10 years in power at the Centre, and almost 20 years in power in Bihar, why has the Modi government failed to deliver Special Category Status in the state, Ramesh asked.