Buxar: National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) prime ministerial candidate LK Advani on Friday promised that a special status would be accorded to Bihar if the NDA comes to power at the Centre.
"We will ensure giving special status to Bihar for further pacing up the development works initiated by the Nitish Kumar-led government, if the alliance is voted to power," Advani told an election rally here.
Advani, who shared the dais with chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister SK Modi to muster support for the BJP nominee Lalmuni Choubey for the Buxar parliamentary constituency, showered praises on Kumar for his "relentless and committed" efforts for changing the face of the state.
Referring to the cash-for-vote scam during the confidence motion in Parliament last year after the Left parties parted ways with the UPA government, Advani said it was a "national shame" that the Congress-led government indulged in alleged horse-trading for its survival.
"The people of the country will never forget the incident," Advani said.
"The UPA government should have preferred to resign in the wake of withdrawal of support by the Left parties following the dispute over the nuclear deal proposals instead of clinging to power through undemocratic ways," he added.
In his speech, Advani said Manmohan Singh is a "weak Prime Minister" even though he may not like being called so.
"When I say he is a weak Prime Minister, he feels bad. But the fact is that HD Deve Gowda when he was the Prime Minister took decisions on his own even if he had only five ministers of his own," Advani added.
"For every decision he (Singh) sends somebody to 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence)".
Observing that the elections are crucial for the country, Advani said the "country today needs honest and efficient leadership".
"I have seen all the Lok Sabha polls since 1952. This election will be very crucial for the country."
"The country has the potential to become one of the most advanced nations in the world. For that to happen we will have to ensure good governance both at the state level and at the Centre," he said adding "we will make 21st century the century of India."
