NDA blamed for bihar ills

Seeking to put the blame for Bihar's backwardness at the door of erstwhile NDA government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused it of having neglected the state during its rule.

Addressing his maiden election rally in Bihar, the prime minister termed communal harmony as crucial to the state's development and urged the electorate to inflict a resounding defeat on the "communal forces".

"The need of the hour is to install a government of the secular democratic front in Bihar which could work in complete harmony and synchronisation with the UPA regime at the Centre.

Noting that recurring floods were the bane of Bihar, the prime minister said the government was in constant touch with Nepal to find a lasting solution to the problem over the next four years.

Describing RJD President Lalu Prasad as a seasoned politician, Manmohan Singh lauded his role in bringing about a turnaround in the Railways and expressed the hope that he would be able to bring a similar transformation in Bihar, if the SDF comprising the Congress, NCP and the CPI-M was voted to power in the state.