Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today held Congress and RJD responsible for lack of development in the state despite being in power for 55 years.
In an oblique reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Kumar said, "The people from Delhi attack me and hold the NDA responsible for the state's backwardness.
"The Congress ruled the state for 40 years and the RJD for the next 15 years. The Congress even shared power with the RJD for five years. We are here just for five years, still they are asking us to give an account of the sorry state of affairs."
Addressing an election rally in Masaurhi, about 45km from Patna, he said that the Centre had refused to provide foodgrains sought for 1.5 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families and had made provision for only 65 lakh.
He attacked the Centre saying that when it did not entertain its claim on the number of BPL families requiring foodgrains, it should not have asked for a fresh survey.
Reiterating his resolve to cover the entire 1.5 crore BPL households in the event of coming to power, he said the state government would introduce a scheme for providing foodgrains at subsidised rates to the remaining of 65 lakh BPL families.
He also said that according Bihar special status will lead to concessions for entrepreneurs to invest and also generate opportunities for employment.
Claiming that the NDA government had restored the rule of law, he said, "Earlier people were afraid of going out of their homes after sunset, now that fear has passed and people even venture out at night."
He said that the expansion plan of the Barauni and Kanti Thermal power plants were in progress, while another mega plant was to come at Nabinagar in collaboration with the NTPC.
"Once these projects start generation things will change drastically," he said and criticised the Centre for blocking several proposals by not providing coal linkages.
