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Nitish sets terms for support

— Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

DRIVING A HARD BARGAIN: Economist Lord Meghnad Desai releases a monograph — Special Category Status: A Case For Bihar — in Patna on Friday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is with him.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Friday that a special status for his State would be the deciding factor for support in government formation, inviting a quick response from both the Congress and the BJP that they might oblige him.

“At a time when every party and pre-poll alliance is claiming that it would form the government in Delhi, I ask parties in Bihar to make it a pre-condition for support that whichever party or alliance comes to power will provide special category status to the State,” said Mr. Kumar, leader of the JD(U), a key NDA constituent being wooed by the Congress and others.

Mr. Kumar was speaking after the release of a monograph Special Category Status: A Case for Bihar endorsed by him and released by economist Lord Meghnad Desai.

“I request all parties to make it a pre-condition that the basis for their support will be conferring special category status to Bihar....We have a good opportunity at hand [for a bargain in a hung House],” Mr. Kumar said.

BJP president Rajnath Singh said: “Nitish Kumar is a seasoned politician. Whatever he has said is right. He knows that only the NDA can provide Bihar with such a package.” AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said the Congress had always given preference to Bihar. — PTI

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