“In response to JDU leaders’ demand for special status for Bihar, a Union Minister has stated…”

Jitan Ram Manjhi emphasized, “The NITI Aayog has clearly stated that no state in the country will be granted special status.”

In Patna, Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi addressed the ongoing demand from JD-U leaders for special status for Bihar, affirming that the NITI Aayog has definitively ruled out this provision for any state. Speaking to the media in Hajipur, he stated, “The NITI Aayog has made it clear that no state will be granted special status. Politicians from various parties may push for it, but that designation won’t be granted to any state.”

Highlighting the Central government’s commitment to Bihar’s financial needs, he reassured, “The Central government and PM Narendra Modi are committed to providing whatever funds are necessary for Bihar’s development.”

Since the NDA government took office, JD-U leaders, including Water Resource Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Building Construction Minister Ashok Choudhary, have advocated strongly for special status. However, this stance has drawn criticism from opposition figures like RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and Congress’s Meira Kumar, who question JD-U’s pursuit of special status while being part of the NDA alliance.