Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar demanded special category status for Bihar and all other backward states on Thursday and promised special status for them if an alternative government comes to power at the Centre in 2024.

He also targeted the BJP for splitting the Congress in Goa and hit out at the Centre for indulging only in publicity campaigns instead of working for development.

“If we get an opportunity to form a government at the Centre in their place, we will definitely provide special category status to the backward states. We are trying to bring all the Opposition parties together for this. I am not talking only about Bihar. Other backwards states also should get it. They have been demanding it,” Nitish said.

The chief minister pointed out that Bihar had been demanding special category status for a long time now, and had run campaigns for it.

Asked by reporters about the split in the Congress in Goa on Wednesday in which eight of its 11 MLAs joined the BJP, Nitish asserted that it was a trait of the saffron party.

“Who splits whom? Just think about it in terms of accounts and transactions. Those who separated should be carefully observed on how and why they went away. Nobody else splits any other party, but they (the BJP) are always into this,” Nitish said.

Speaking in the same vein, the Bihar chief minister, who quit the National Democratic Alliance last month to join hands with the Opposition Grand Alliance, slammed the Centre for indulging in publicity campaigns instead of working for the development of the people.

“It (the Centre) just indulges in publicity and advertisement. It does no work. It has not done any work so far,” Nitish said.

Lambasting the BJP for speaking nonsensical things about him, Nitish asserted that its leaders were “afraid of what is going to happen to them in the coming polls after we (Janata Dal United and RJD) have come together”.

Nitish was talking to reporters after launching an ambitious ‘solar street lighting’ scheme for the rural areas. Altogether 11.8 lakh ‘solar energy powered street lights’ would be installed in 1.1 lakh wards of total 8061 panchayats in the state.

Under the scheme, 10 solar lights would be installed on the streets in each ward. Such lights will also be put up at schools, anganwadi centres, health centres, panchayat buildings and religious places. Each such light unit will cost Rs 30,669.

The Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency will select agencies responsible for the maintenance of these lights.

Nitish said that the scheme was implemented at some places in five districts on a pilot basis and was now being launched for the entire state after being found suitable.