Cong indicates willingness to accept Nitish's formula

Congress has indicated its willingness to accept Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's demand to give special category status to the state for providing development grants. Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had today said the "basis of our support" will be to whichever government at the Centre that would give special status to the state.

Congress on Friday indicated its willingness to accept Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's demand to give special category status to the state for providing development grants.

HT Image

"Wherever there is a possibility to get support for government formation...Those who want to come with us, those who believe in our policy, our doors are open for them, except BJP and Shiv Sena, which are communal parties," Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi told reporters in New Delhi.

Asked whether there was a possibility of an agreement between the Congress and the JD(U) on this issue, Chaturvedi said no possibility could be denied at this moment. "All roads are open."

To a question on how it was possible when Congress was already in alliance with RJD, the main opposition party in Bihar, he said: "I have not said that this (alliance with JD-U) will certainly materialise...But nobody is untouchable except BJP and Shiv Sena."

Asked about Congress' reported attempts to woo Naveen Patnaik's BJD, Chaturvedi said he had no idea about that. He, at the same time, sought to remind: "We cannot consider anybody else as untouchable politically."

Reminding about Nitish Kumar's statements that he was with those who support development of Bihar, Chaturvedi said the Congress did not oppose development of any state.