Ara/Saharsa: Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday announced `1.25 lakh crore package for election-bound Bihar and attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his “arrogance” in returning money meant for victims of the 2008 Kosi floods.
Shortly after Modi ended his campaign speech attended by thousands at Ara town, Nitish Kumar accused the prime minister of spreading falsehood and insisted the money was Bihar’s right and not a favour.
After laying the foundation stones for 10 road projects, Modi told the rally that the package would change the face of Bihar and urged the people to vote the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in the assembly polls.
The prime minister said `40,000cr unspent from an earlier aid package to the state would also be given, taking the total central assistance to `1.65 lakh crore.
Modi recalled that before the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he had promised a special package of `50,000cr to Bihar.
“But looking at the dreams of a prosperous Bihar, it was later to give a bigger package.”
Modi accused Nitish Kumar of playing political games and of getting only `12,000cr for Bihar from the previous Congress-led UPA government.
He also challenged Nitish Kumar’s claim that Bihar was no longer a ‘BIMBARU’ state.
“Our chief minister turned very angry and said who is Modi to call Bihar a BIMARU state. He said with authority that Bihar is no longer a BIMARU state. If that’s true, I will be the happiest person.”
Later, addressing another rally in Saharsa district, Modi again targeted Nitish Kumar, the Janata Dal-United leader and the BJP’s arch foe in the election.
“The chief minister returned the money given to help the people affected by the Kosi floods. It hurt me.”
“At the time of the Kosi tragedy, an arrogant leader was not worried about the pain and suffering of the flood victims,” Modi said.
Miffed over advertisements featuring him and then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and referring to the aid provided by Gujarat during the 2008 floods, Nitish Kumar returned the `5cr given for the purpose.
Nitish Kumar raised questions about Modi’s package for Bihar. “While I will wait to hear the details of the so-called package announced by Modi, I emphasise (that) special assistance is our right and not a favour,” he tweeted.
And he said if had to beg for Bihar’s development, he would not mind doing it.
Meanwhile, the Congress party yesterday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of `1.25 lakh crore special package for poll-bound Bihar as "another jumla (idiom)", saying people of the state would not be "hoodwinked" by it.
Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said Modi did not announce a special package for Bihar in over a year of his government and done so when the assembly polls were around.
Ahmed said once the polls were over, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders would say the announcement was a 'jumla' (political idiom), in an oblique reference to BJP president Amit Shah's "jumla" comments.
Shah had said that remarks of the BJP leaders during general elections about `15lakh coming into account of every Indian once the black money was recovered, were a "jumla".
IANS
