Bihar Deputy Chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday asserted that no development took place in the state except during the governments of Sri Krishna Sinha, Karpoori Thakur and the incumbent Nitish Kumar.
Had the development taken place in Bihar all along since Independence, it would have been in the league of developed states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.
He was replying to a two-day debate on the state's Rs 2.11 lakh crore budget for 2020-21 fiscal in the Assembly.
"Except for the period of Bihar's first CM Sri Krishna Sinha who died in 1961, the state did not witness any development since 1961 to 2005 barring for a brief period of the former CM and socialist leader Karpoori Thakur.
"The state began witnessing development after Nitish Kumar took over the reins of Bihar in November 2005," Modi, his deputy, said.
Reeling out figures to highlight achievements of the present regime vis-a-vis the RJD rule in particular, Modi, who also holds Finance portfolio, stated that Bihar grew at a rate of 9 per cent between 1990-91 to 2004-05 (during RJD period) while it registered 18.9 per cent growth rate during Nitish Kumar's dispensation in the past 15 years.
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The per capita income was a paltry Rs 3037 in 1990-91 which increased to Rs 8000 in 2004-05, while the state witnessed more than five-fold increase in per capita income to reach Rs 43,822 in 2018-19 during the NDA regime.
Modi mentioned in great detail about the development works taken place during NDA rule be it agriculture, education, opening of bigger institutions like AIIMS, IIT, IIM etc in the state and compared it with that of the RJD.
The Dy CM announced that drainage system of Patna will be upgraded and strengthened before the commencement of the monsoon session so that citizens do not face the water logging the way they did in September last when three days of rain had submerged some important localities of the state capital.
RJD members led by its leader Tejashwi Yadav walked out of the House at the fag end of Modi's reply, when the latter mentioned about fodder scam and said those who indulged in swindling away huge sum are behind the bars and will never come out from the jail.
Though he did not take any names, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad is in Ranchi jail in connection with Rs 900 crore plus fodder scam cases.
"The lantern age will never return in Bihar", Modi said while reminiscing about the days of RJD regime, when he alleged members of the then ruling dispensation twisted the arms of leader of opposition (Sushil Modi) in the House.
Bihar is likely to see polls by the end of the current year.