Prime Minister, where is the special package for Bihar, asks JD(U)

Barely two months before the Assembly election was held in Bihar during October-November, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special package for Bihar, a whopping ₹1.25 lakh crore, to help it realise its immense potential.

Those who watched the live telecast of the PM’s announcement at a rally in Arrah recall the Prime Minister asking the gathering how much he should announce. Like an auctioneer the PM announced figures— ₹70,000 crore… ₹80,000 crore—and sought an approval by acclamation. The crowd roared and to their delight the Prime Minister declared that he was announcing a special package of ₹1.25 lakh crore to make Bihar self-sufficient.

The Press information Bureau issued a press release on August 18 to confirm the announcement made by the PM.

In January 2016, a report said that the Centre was committed to honour the PM’s commitment although the Bharatiya Janata Party lost the Bihar election and came a poor third. The package, it was declared, was meant for the people of Bihar and not for any political party.

The JD(U) has now claimed that no part of the Special Package has so far been disbursed to the state in the last 21 months.

Briefing the media at Patna on Thursday, JD(U) leaders Rajeev Ranjan and Neeraj Kumar showed the response from the Niti Aayog to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, in which Niti Aayog has said that it has no knowledge of the said package.

Accusing the Prime Minister of making false promises to the people of Bihar and the Union Government for carrying out a political propaganda, the JD(U) leaders claimed that the Centre seemed more keen to extend special assistance to Uttar Pradesh rather than honour the PM’s commitment to Bihar.

While Niti Aayog’s Financial Resources Division was informed of the PM’s announcement through a press statement, no further step was taken to release the special package.

“As usual, Modi made big promises at the time of election but when he lost, he withdrew,” said JD(U) spokesperson Pawan K Verma.

In the reply dated April 18, 2017, Niti Aayog acknowledges receipt of a communication from the Prime Minister’s Office in August 2015.

Accusing the NDA government at the of subverting the ‘federal structure’, JD(U) sought an explanation from BJP on the issue.

Talking to National Herald, JD(U) chief spokesperson KC Tyagi said, “Any announcement made by the PM is a policy matter. If he announces a package to any state, it becomes part of the record in Niti Aayog but in the case of Bihar it turned out to be a fraud. Had BJP won the election, it would have released the funds. When it comes to Uttar Pradesh, Modi government goes all the way to help but with Bihar they are discriminating openly.”

Although the funds are released by the Finance Ministry, Niti Ayog, a think-tank of the government, is also kept in the loop, he explained.