At a time when the NDA leaders are busy drawing strategies to take on the UPA in the next general elections, ally JD(U) has sought to support the UPA’s decision to earmark 15 per cent of Plan funds for Muslims. “We are all for special programmes for the development of the Muslim community,” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said at a press conference when asked to spell out his view on the issue in the context of the position taken by the BJP.Flanked by JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, he said the Bihar Government had undertaken a special programme for the uplift of the minority community. “If they (Centre) give us more (money), we would do more for Muslims,” he declared. Muslims, according to Nitish, are backward “in our state”. “They, like women, extremely backward and extremely suppressed among the Dalits, are special target groups for us for development. The state Government would vigorously participate in any effort to improve their lot,” he said.The BJP had stoutly opposed the decision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set aside money for development programmes aimed at the welfare of Muslims. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had, in fact, criticised the move by terming it “communal budgeting” at the NDC meeting here last month.While Nitish made these remarks in response to questions, he consciously positioned himself as a champion of minority concerns in his suo motu statement at the outset. He recalled how his Government had reopened Bhagalpur riots cases, booked the culprits and prosecuted them. Taking a dig at his rival Railways Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Chief Minister said, “We keep listening to sermons; we, the people of Bihar and the victims of Bhagalpur riot, want to know what did he do during his rule for them.” He claimed the culprits had actually been shielded during the RJD-rule.Nitish demanded that the Centre immediately convene a high-level meeting with all states to examine the lacunae in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). “Change the law if that is what it takes to make the scheme more effective,” Nitish said. “I favour a civil audit because I see a lot of scope for leakage (of money),” he added. The Bihar Chief Minister claimed that a lot of bogus entries were being made in muster rolls. There was a need for a curtailment of multi-layer approvals.Nitish made light of the criticism over the deletion of a chapter on Lalu from a school textbook. “The living (people) should resist the temptation of having their life sketches prescribed in books,” he said.
