New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar, the Congress on Wednesday attacked him and asked why hasn’t the state been granted special category status as promised by him.
The opposition party also asked why Patna University has been denied central university status.
“As the ‘one-third’ Pradhan Mantri visits Bihar to inaugurate Nalanda University, some questions from the campaign that we hope he answers now – Why hasn’t Bihar been granted Special Category Status as the PM had promised?” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
“In 2014, when campaigning for his current position, Mr. Modi effectively promised special category status for Bihar. As per the Centre’s own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report, Bihar ranks as the poorest state in India, and 52% of the state’s population lacks access to requisite health, education, and living standards,” he said.
In 2013, the Raghuram Rajan Committee recommended a new methodology for devolving funds that is based on a multi-dimensional index to account for a state’s economic backwardness, Ramesh pointed out.
Ten years later, what is the Government waiting for, he asked.
“Why has the ‘one-third’ Pradhan Mantri forgotten the people of Bihar? After 10 years in power at the Centre, and almost 20 years in power in Bihar, why has the Government failed to deliver Special Category Status in the state?” he said.
Ramesh further asked why has Patna University been denied central university status.
“In 2017, Mr. Modi flat-out denied Nitish Kumar’s request to give Patna University Central university status. This has been a long-standing demand of the people of Bihar because students from modest backgrounds are currently forced to leave the state for quality higher education,” the Congress leader said.
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