Only Nitish, Lalu, Rahul unhappy: Minister

PATNA: Communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday fired a fresh salvo at CM Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying they were the only people “unhappy” with the Rs 1.25-lakh crore special package announced for Bihar by PM Narendra Modi at Ara on Tuesday.
He said Modi won the “hearts of people” by announcing the package.“The whole of Bihar is happy. Only three people – Nitish, Lalu and Rahul — are unhappy.”
Interestingly, within hours of the announcement, CM Nitish raised fingers at its motive, manner, sincerity and content. Lalu called it a ‘sham’, while Rahul said the package could meet the fate of ‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP) which the PM had promised to ex-servicemen. Modi government is yet to fulfil the OROP promise despite being in power for the last 15 months.
Referring to Nitish’s questions on the package, Ravi Shankar said: “There is nothing in his charges. If he talks in specifics, we can reply. He is talking in generalities. No one-time budgetary allotment can be made. And, Lalu has nothing to do with the issues of development.” The package has approval of the finance department and PMO, he said.
To put in perspective the mega size of the package, the minister said, “The state’s plan fund for 2014-15 was only Rs 54,000 crore. They (the state government) can’t use the plan fund.” The BJP-led NDA would form the next government after the state assembly polls likely in October-November this year, which would guard against misuse of the package funds and execute the planned projects, he said.
With regard to the Central Board of Direct Taxes granting 15% income-tax exemption to investors setting up new industries in 21 backward districts of the state, Ravi Shankar said, “The list of districts had been given by the state government. The Centre accepted it.”
He dismissed the demand for special category status to the state and claimed not a single new industry came up in nine years of Nitish’s rule. In 2013, proposals for food processing projects worth Rs 17,000 crore had been made, which has come down to Rs 6,000 crore at present due to deteriorating law and order situation, Prasad said.