The Bihar chief minister castigated the prime minister for placing "distorted" facts about the central assistance of Rs1000 crore every year since 2004.
Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of adopting "hit-and-run" tactics and misleading people about central assistance to Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar today dared him for an open debate on these issues.
"I fully respect Manmohan Singh as PM and also leader of the country, though it is a different matter that the former treats another person (Sonia Gandhi) as his leader," Kumar sarcastically remarked while taking a swipe at Singh for his statement yesterday on central assistance to the state.
The chief minister was addressing a press conference jointly with senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.
Referring to Singh's charge that the NDA government had failed to discharge its responsibilities for utilisation of the assistance worth Rs1000 crore provided by the Centre since 2004, chief minister said, "there is no substance in it."
Under the Bihar Reorganisation Act which came into force when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar, the NDA government had devised a formula for providing special package of Rs1,000 crore every year since 2002 to compensate the losses incurred by the state with minerally rich areas going to Jharkhand.
Besides, a special cell was created under the Planning Commission when KC Pant was its chairman to monitor utilisation of the assistance, he said.
It was also decided that the central agencies would be tasked with execution of the schemes under the direct control of the Planning Commission following certain objections raised by the erstwhile Rabri Devi regime to the Centre, chief minister Kumar informed.
"Subsequently, because of the lack of initiative the release of the assistance got piled up," Kumar said, adding after formation of the NDA government in November 2005, he had relentlessly tried to raise the issue of release of the assistance and engaging the central agencies for completing the schemes in Bihar.
"I even personally persuaded the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and I express my gratitude that Ahluwalia took an initiative and held a meeting with the central agencies for implementing the schemes with the utilisation of the central assistance," Kumar said.
"I am rather surprised to hear from an economist like Singh that the amount of the assistance is not being properly utilised in Bihar," he said, adding the state's role in the entire episode was "just notional" and the funds were being directly given by the Centre to central agencies for roads and sub-transmission system.
"It is unfortunate that even an economist like Manmohan Singhji is not aware of the fact though he is also chairman of the Planning Commission", the chief minister said.
"Sir, I will like to know from you the veracity of your charge....it is nothing but to mislead the people," Kumar said and challenged that he was ready for an open debate with the prime minister and other Congress leaders on the issue.
"In fact, the prime minister and other Congress leaders are engaging in hit-and-run (tactics) and misleading people for politics of vote," he said and reiterated his charge that whenever the Congress came to power at the Centre it "attacked the federal structure" and the country saw skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.
"Sir, maine apni zindagi mein durupyog nahin sikha hai (I have not learnt misuse (of any thing) in my life," the chief minister said while refuting prime minister's allegation.
Kumar also castigated the prime minister for placing "distorted" facts about the central assistance of Rs1000 crore every year since 2004.
Seeking to repudiate the prime minister's charge that the state government was taking credit for the funds provided by the Centre, Kumar asked Singh to explain as to whether the most popular schemes like Mukhyamantri Cycle Yojana and Mukhyamantri Poshak (Uniform) Yojana were implemented in Bihar through "the resources provided by the Centre."
Similarly, he rubbished the PM's charge that special schemes for minorities were not being properly utilised, saying the Centre had fully ignored the state's proposals for madrasas and other minority-oriented schemes, he said.
Jaitley too attacked the prime minister for his statement that the NDA government in Bihar failed to properly utilise funds provided by the Centre.
"I will like to make it clear that it is a federal structure and the funds are hard-earned money of crores of tax payers... it is not Congress' property but it is the country's property", Jaitley said.
He alleged that the UPA government had not done justice to Bihar and said had the prime minister analysed the present financial position of Bihar as an economist, he would not have levelled such "baseless" allegations.
"It is the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar which has sincerely and relentlessly tried to increase the growth rate which is now pegged at 11.5% from negative five years ago," Jaitley said, adding "we are satisfied with the performance of the NDA government and are going to the people with a positive campaign as Nitish Kumar deserves a second term."
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