Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Sunday demanded special status for the state from the Centre at 'Adhikar rally'.
Flow of masses from all across the state turned at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna for Nitish's rally.
The Bihar chief minister vowed to keep up the pressure for his state's special status demand and hinted that the issue could determine which alliance his party, the Janata Dal (United), would back after the 2014 general elections.
"Special status should be based on the backwardness of a state. The states that have got special status right now are far developed than Bihar. Special status is our right and we are determined to continue our struggle," Kumar told supporters at his 'Adhikar rally' in Patna.
"If our demand isn't met, whoever forms the government at the Centre in 2014 will have to grant Bihar special status," he said.
Kumar claimed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh avoids him whenever he wants to meet on the issue. "Unnecessary excuses are given to deprive us of special status," he said, announcing a rally at the Ramlila grounds in Delhi in March next year.
JD(U) had made special arrangements to ensure that people across the globe can see the 'Adhikar rally' sitting in their homes.
The party had launched a special website www.biharadhikarrally.com which would provide live display of the rally and also the speech of the chief minister.
Flow of masses from all across the state is present at the historic Gandhi Maidan.
Kumar has been vigorously raising this demand soon after he came to power in 2005, stressing on the fact that it would help the state quickly achieve the national average of various indicators of development as the present rate of growth with limited resources would need at least 20 years to achieve the same.
He had ensured that his party could rake up the issue in remote parts of the state and mobilise the people to attend Sunday's rally.
In the run up to the rally, Nitish addressed a series of meetings in several districts during which he pointed out that Bihar was a fit case to be granted the special status.
Big hoardings depicting photos of the chief minister, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, party's state president Basistha Narain Singh among others, had been erected at the maidan and at important roads in Patna.
With Thanks : News Bullet
