On the third visit to Bihar in a month Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a development package for Bihar after laying the foundation stone for highway projects in Arrah. PM said, ‘Bihar will get a grand Rs 1.25 Lakh Crore in addition to the current on going project of worth Rs 40,000 crore ’. This is good news for Bihar, whoever wins the state elections presumably, the package will not evaporate even if the Nitish Kumar-led alliance wins.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was not happy by few statements made by PM and which led to a minor cold war when Modi said “Bihar is among the Bimaru states (a slur for being the most backward among the states) and that we have to get it out of there but the Chief Minister (Nitish) took offence and said Bihar is no longer a Bimaru state.” Turning the Janata Dal United’s strategy of alienating the BJP for denying special packages for the state on its head, Modi asked the gathering, “if Bihar is not among Bimaru states, why is the Chief Minister persistent in his demands for special package for the state?”
Prime Minister concluded his speech by taking a vow of changing the fate of Bihar.
