Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress-led United Progress Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre of working against the federal structure and said it is playing to the tune of leaders who are bent upon settling scores with non-Congress governments in states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Modi was talking informally to a group of media-persons at the state BJP headquarters here at the end of the two-day meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, which he had presided.
Mr Modi said that the UPA Government is being discriminatory towards Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. This is at the instance of Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, he pointed out.
Replying to a query, he said there is no logic why the anti-corruption law was cleared in the case of Bihar and a similar Bill passed by the Madhya Pradesh Assembly is awaiting clearance for such a long time. Obviously, Mr. Modi said, the purpose behind this delay is to prevent Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from becoming popular. Further on the issue of discrimination, he said that just like Madhya Pradesh, the Centre had failed to release funds for maintenance of national highways in Bihar. The Bihar Government went ahead and spent Rs. 900 crore on the maintenance of national highways from its own resources but this amount has not been reimbursed.
Earlier addressing BJP leaders and workers at the party headquarters, Mr Modi said that a positive change is sweeping Bihar under the ruling Janata Dal-United and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance.