AGENCY
NEW DELHI, Feb 3
Rubbishing the Opposition claim that accused the recently presented Union Budget 2025 heavily favouring Bihar to reap benefits in the upcoming assembly polls, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the NDA wants the state to catch up with the rest of the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to see Bihar developed and the government wants to back the state despite political developments, Nirmala Sitharaman said. She asked if the Opposition was against the development of Bihar.
Union Budget 2025 was not the first time that her government decided to give Bihar a push, she pointed out. “In the July Budget too, we announced schemes for Bihar when elections were not on the horizon. An election is always due somewhere. But ‘Purvodaya’ is part of the PM’s larger plan for the eastern region. That is why we revived fertiliser plants in the region,” Sitharaman was quoted as saying by the TOI in an interview.
“Bihar deserves help… The PM has repeatedly said that a state needs to improve irrespective of the party in office. Else, it will become a drag and pull you down. So, I’m happy we are doing this,” she told the daily.
Justifying the reason to provide Bihar with a Greenfield Airport, Sitharaman said that it was necessary to promote the Buddhist tourism circuit that the NDA-ruled state is home to. Counter-attaccking the Opposition, the BJP leader said that if they don’t want to see Bihar improved, then they should say that openly.
Nitish Kumar lauds Union Budget 2025
Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had claimed that the budget would help in accelerating the development of the state. The JD(U) supremo asserted that announcements for the state, like a Makhana board and greenfield airports, did address the future needs of Bihar where assembly polls were due in less than a year.
“The budget is progressive (pragatisheel) and futuristic (bhavishyonmukhi). It will help accelerate the state’s growth… I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” he said in a statement.
Kumar said the Makhana board would boost the cultivation of foxnuts, for which Bihar was known across the world.
“Greenfield airports would address the state’s future needs. These will improve air connectivity in the state which shall now look forward to having a greater number of international flights,” he said.
Kumar said the decision to enhance the capacity of IIT-Patna will cause technical education in the state to look up.
People of Bihar will go to polling booths in November. The Opposition RJD is the single-biggest party in the current House with 75 seats, while BJP and JD(U) got 74 and 43 seats respecively in the 243-strong Assembly.
