Nitish Kumar, Lalu Yadav hit back at ‘arrogant’ Modi: package is just hype

Kumar also slammed Modi for calling Bihar a BIMARU state and said its an offensive remark and the prime minister has insulted the people of the state by saying this.

Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, DNA of democracy, Shabd Wapsi campaign, modi nitish row, india news, news, indian express editorials

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special package for poll-bound Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rubbished it, calling it “just hype” as it has “no budgetary provision”. His alliance partner, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, termed it as an “election bomb” and equated the announcement with Modi’s Lok Sabha poll promise of bringing back black money and depositing Rs 15 lakh in every Indian’s bank account.

The chief minister also slammed the PM for the manner in which he announced the special package for the state.

“Fifty thousand crore…sixty thousand crore… Lag raha tha koi boli lag rahi hai. PM ka aisa karna thik nahi laga (It looked as if some auction was going on. It is not befitting for a PM to do so),” said Nitish.

Watch Video

Stating that the Rs 1.25-lakh-crore package was “merely repackaging of old projects”, the CM gave details of several schemes included in the package that had been sanctioned earlier. “The package talks of a new airport but where is the land? It includes Rs 404 crore for digital Bihar. I want to know if the state was not part of Centre’s Digital India programme. So what is special about it?… They had to give it. The way he spoke shows that he has a feeling of contempt. Who is arrogant?” Nitish asked.

Ek Bihari sab pe bhaari-Nitish Kumar pic.twitter.com/EJD2rb4kt1

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 18, 2015

He said that the PM called him “yachak (supplicant) and ahankari (arrogant)”. “That is contradictory. One can be either. If I have to become a beggar for the cause of Bihar, I’m willing to plead with the Centre,” said the CM as he lambasted Modi for “talks of cooperative federalism”. “He will humiliate the state government, call it incompetent… What kind of cooperative federalism is this?.”

RJD chief Lalu Prasad also hit out at the PM. “The special package is an election bomb. It is something similar to black money return promise,” Lalu said and questioned the timing of the announcement. “The timing of the announcement is suspicious. Why he did not give it 15 months ago when he became PM? It could have helped the state,” he said.

WITH PTI INPUTS