Nitish Kumar attacks Centre for 'ignoring' Bihar in Smart City list

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday hit out at the Centre for not selecting any city from Bihar in the the list of 20 smart cities and said the BJP-led Union government has no consideration to maintain regional balance.

The Centre had sought proposal from the state for smart city, which was provided to them as per the requirement specified, but still no city of Bihar finds place in the list announced for converting them into smart city, Kumar said.

"There is no rule or law before them...something other is going in the country these days," he said. "There is no 'maryada' (decency), 'niyam' (rules), neither they have any consideration to maintain regional balance," Kumar, who is senior leader of JD(U) said.

"This is example of 'andher nagri' (misrule)," the Bihar CM said.

In reply to a question over the BJP mocking him for foundation-laying of six-lane bridge over Ganga tomorrow, Kumar clarified that it is an inauguration for starting the work and not a foundation laying ceremony which had already been done before poll.

Work would start on the bridge project intended to lower load over Gandhi Setu on Ganga at present after making arrangements for funding and other aspects. Kumar said, "When they were with me, they used to insist that their name should be there on the foundation stone even in the condition of failing to turn up for the programme."

"Ramvilas Paswan had got foundation laying of the rail-cum road brige from Digha to Sonepur by the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda without arranging fund for it. When I was Railway minister, I got the work started on the said project by the then PM A B Vajpayee after allocation of fund for it," he said.