JD-U ready to compromise on special status demand: Party leader

Patna, Oct 9 (IANS) Two days after Union Minister Giriraj Singh virtually rejected the JD-U's demand for Special Category status to Bihar, the ruling party on Monday said it was ready to compromise in case special facilities were extended to the state.

"In the changed political situation, the Janata Dal-United is ready to compromise on its demand if some special facilities are given to Bihar," JD-U General Secretary and the party's leader in the Rajya Sabha R.C.P. Singh said here.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD-U President, has been raising the demand for the last one decade. In May, he again demanded Special Category status and special assistance for Bihar for its rapid growth.

In a three-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Nitish Kumar said that even after achieving double-digit growth in the past many years, Bihar still remained behind the national average on major developmental parameters.

"A new policy framework is needed to uplift Bihar from backwardness and bring it to the national mainstream. A Special Category status will ensure its further growth because of greater availability of resources due to increased central share in its schemes and incentives to private investors," the Chief Minister said.

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