Cong willing to accept Nitish's package formula

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

"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 here.  

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."

Meanwhile, Congress sources said that the party might discuss the issue in the next core committee meeting.      

Commenting on Kumar's demand for special status for Bihar, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh said Congress has always given preference to Bihar. "During the UPA rule, Bihar got five time more funds than it got during the NDA regime."      

Singh said that the special status need to be defined first and added, "If it is defined and our government is formed at the Centre, sensitiveness will be shown towards Bihar. Congress has always been sensitive to Bihar and will remain so."      

Asked whether he has any disagreement with Kumar's demand for special status for the development of the state, Singh said, "Definitely not. Why anybody will have disagreement with this. Everybody agrees that Bihar should develop and get a chance to come forward.      

"Bihar is important for us and very important for the country," he added.      

Singh, however, declined to answer whether Kumar's statement is an indication of him (Kumar) coming close to Congress in the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi earlier praising the Bihar Chief Minister.