Bihar should be accorded special status: Dipanker

Nitish owed answer to the people of Bihar as why the issue of special status was not considered in 2000 when the NDA government was in power,Bhattacharya said and added that through special status government funds would flow which would help in addressing the problems but the actual development to take place lie with Bihar government which would have to carry out land and agrarian reforms,agricultural development and flood control.

Advocating 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state legislatures,the CPI-ML leader said that “the party fully supports the women’s reservation bill and it should be passed immediately in its present form as there is an agreement in this country to pass the bill.”

Asked whether there should be a quota within the quota as demanded by the JD(U),Bhattacharya parried the question and said that if male OBCs can enter Lok Sabha in good numbers without any reservation to them why cant women excel in a similar manner.

On being asked whether the alliance of three left parties — CPI-ML,CPI-M and CPI– would continue even in future,Bhattacharya said that there was general desire among the three parties to continue with the unity for which details were yet to be decided.

“Electoral performance has nothing to do with the unity among the three parties…It was a new move…We are reviewing the poll outcome,” he said.

The CPI-ML general secretary admitted that there was general expectation that ML would win at least one or two seats but it did not happen. It was a surprise for the party.

Making it clear that it would not join hands with RJD and LJP,he said while citing the example of Congress in Bihar and UP that “just like Congress,communists too primarily focus on their independent resurgence of left movement.”

On Nitish government’s decision to give pension to the 1974 revolutionaries,Bhattacharya termed it as a “retirement benefit” and said that it was a “political measure with the political message.”