In Bihar ruling NDA exults at Union budget oppn sulks

Patna, Jul 23 (PTI) The ruling NDA in Bihar on Tuesday claimed that the Centre has "opened the coffers" for the state with announcement of "unprecedented" assistance in the Union budget, which would "set the agenda" for the assembly polls due next year.
    However, the opposition was of the view that despite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s clout, the Union government gave Bihar a raw deal and declared that the demand for special category status "cannot be retracted even by an inch".
    Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary told the assembly, "Today..... in Delhi an unprecedented help has been announced for Bihar. The people of Bihar are in a state of rupture at the attention showered by the budget, for which we extend thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman."
    The senior JD(U) leader rose in his chair to speak after MLAs of RJD, Congress and the Left, who had forced repeated adjournments in the pre-lunch session, staged a walkout in protest against the denial of special status.
    Chaudhary also said "these people (the opposition) should remember that the demand for special status was turned down even when they were part of the ruling dispensation at the Centre......Their behaviour is caused by their anxiety".
    "Today, the agenda has been set for the elections due next year. The people of Bihar are frowning upon the opposition and looking forward to a bright future under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar," added the minister.
    Members of the treasury benches, including the chief minister, thumped their desks in approval.
    Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who has been conspicuous by his absence in the assembly, alleged in a statement that "the budget has been a let-down. It lacks a revival plan for the state which is in dire need of a special status and a special package".
    The RJD leader, who is also a former deputy CM, added, "The Centre must not insult the people of Bihar by presenting routine outlays as something out of the ordinary. We shall not retract, even by an inch, on the demand for special status which is required to eradicate backwardness of the state from where young people are forced to migrate in search of a better future."
    Deputy CM and state BJP president Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, was of the view that the Centre "opened the coffers (khazana khol diya)" for Bihar in the budget.
    "It is a historic budget for which PM Modi deserves kudos. The state will see expressways, new power plants and a medical college. Every aspect, including flood control and development of tourism, have been taken care of," Choudhary told reporters.
    Senior JD(U) leader and Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar said, "It is a great budget that will help us meet our target ahead of the assembly polls next year."
    However, CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Sandeep Saurav told PTI, "The Centre has cheated Bihar. The state needs nothing short of special category status for its overall growth. One-time financial assistance, which is too very small, will not serve the purpose. People of Bihar know that the NDA government is not interested in the welfare of the state...they will teach the BJP and its allies a lesson in the next assembly polls. The NDA will face a humiliating defeat in 2025".

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)