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| Special status for Bihar | | UPA, Nitish have political goals | |
Media reports suggest that the UPA government is considering to change the criteria for backwardness to help Bihar become eligible for cheap Central funds and tax breaks. With the DMK withdrawing support and the Samajwadi Party's loyalty uncertain, the UPA is warming up to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's demand for special category status for Bihar. If the Centre walks the talk, the UPA could snatch a crucial NDA ally. Nitish Kumar has been talking of aligning with any party that grants special status to Bihar. Actually, he is unhappy with the possibility of the BJP projecting Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. If the UPA and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) come closer, it would mean Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal would lose its special status and get further marginalised in Bihar. This makes political sense for the Congress since the RJD has only three MPs and its base is shrinking, while the JD (U) has 20 MPs and Nitish Kumar's political fortune is on the rise on the basis of his performance as Chief Minister. But he may also be nursing prime ministerial ambitions, which may drive him towards another political combination going by the name of Third Front.
The grant of special status to Bihar may spell trouble for the Centre. Central funds are shared with states under a formula devised in 1969 by the then Planning Commission chief, Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil. A special category was created for states having international borders, conflicts or a difficult terrain. There are 10 states in this category - the nine north-eastern states plus Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Uttarakhand. If the criteria for backwardness were changed, states like Uttar Pradesh too would become eligible. This would drive the three debt-stressed states of Kerala, West Bengal and Punjab to clamour for similar relief. Bihar has grown fast in recent years due to better governance without any special Central aid. Himachal has got Central help, but its growth is average. The plight of Kerala, West Bengal and Punjab would not improve even with Central money as long as governance remains poor. Courtesy: (The Tribune) |
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