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PM Narendra Modi during his meeting with Bihar MPs on Friday: “Work hard for the development of Bihar. Keep that at the back of your mind. It is the responsibility of each one of you to take Bihar forward.”
A file photo of PM Narendra Modi (right) with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. (PTI)
At least 30 MPs from Bihar from the Bharatiya Janata arty-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament complex on Friday morning to thank him for the budget announcements for the state.
Senior ministers in the government, Giriraj Singh, Lalan Singh and Chirag Paswan were among those who met with the Prime Minister, expressing gratitude to the centre for placing Bihar at the forefront of this year’s budget, with multiple announcements, including those for infrastructure, health, etc.
It was a brief meeting of around 5-10 minutes, where all MPs wanted to congratulate the PM for giving recognition to the Makhana Board. Makhana, also known as a superfood, comes from Bihar and is widely loved by people for its nutritional values, especially being calcium rich. In the recent budget, the Union Cabinet gave clearance to its board.
As a mark of respect for the Prime Minister’s decision, the MPs presented him with a mala made out of makhana.
While the Prime Minister gave a loud pat on the shoulder of young minister, Chirag Paswan, who often calls himself the Prime Minister’s Hanuman, the message from the Prime Minister for the Bihar MPs was simple. “Work hard for the development of Bihar. Keep that at the back of your mind. It is the responsibility of each one of you to take Bihar forward,” he said.
“He is always so simple and direct in his approach that every time somebody meets him, there is always a point to take back home and ponder over,” an MP told CNN-News18.
“From a state that was recognised for being a sick state to a state, which is now talking about progressive governance. A lot of the credit must go to the Prime Minister and his vision. We are indeed, very, very grateful for this approach,” another MP said to News18.
The state of Bihar has an NDA government with alliance partners like the Janata Dal United (JDU), Ram Vilas Paswan, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Jiten Ram Manjhi’s party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).
The state assembly elections in the eastern state are scheduled to take place later this year for which the NDA alliance partners have already expressed their desire for the coalition to continue.
