Paswan seeks Nitish's apology for criticising Union Budget

Patna, Mar 1: Observing that the Centre has offered a slew of bonanza to Bihar in the Union Budget for 2015-16, Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan today sought Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's apology for his diatribes against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The announcement of construction of an AIIMS like institution, special package on the lines of Andhra Pradesh among other sops for Bihar in the Union Budget augurs well for the future which must be appreciated by one and all, the Union Food and Consumers Affairs Minister told reporters here.

Paswan asked the Bihar chief minister to see the difference in approach of the UPA and NDA towards development and welfare of the state.

While the UPA government had ignored Bihar's justified demand for the special package despite the Chief Minister wooing the Congress since split with the NDA, the Narendra Modi government has accommodated aspirations of the people of Bihar by straightway announcing special package and other sops in spite of Kumar's persistent attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP-led NDA government, Paswan stated.

Charging the senior JD(U) leader for nursing ill-will towards Modi for years, Paswan, recalled that Kumar had cancelled his dinner for the BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in June 2010 during the Saffron party's national executive in Patna.

Now that the Modi-led government at the Centre has translated his intention for development of Bihar into actions, it's time that Kumar apologize for his sustained tirade against the Prime Minister and the BJP, the LJP supremo said.

PTI