By IANS,
Patna : Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has decided to launch a campaign to collect 10 million signatures to pressurise the central government to accord special category status to the state.
JD-U spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari said that the party will launch the signature drive soon.
“After obtaining signatures of 10 million people, the JD-U will submit it to the central government to prove public support for the demand for according special state category status to Bihar,” said Tiwari, a Rajya Sabha MP.
The central government accords special status to backward states to help them grow.
State JD-U president Vijay Choudhary Thursday told IANS over telephone that the party will intensify the campaign for seeking special status.
He said: “We will have to mobilise support and pressurise the central government to accord the rights to Bihar that have been denied till date.”
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been demanding the special state category status for Bihar for its growth and development and has said that the state’s long-standing demand was rejected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The assembly decided April 13, 2006 that Bihar should be given the special status.