Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced on Thursday that he would run a campaign to demand the ‘special category status’ for Bihar and denounced the Centre for denying it despite being necessary for the state for its progress.

The campaign, if it comes during the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections could be another of his masterstroke on the heels of the recently released caste-based survey data and upping the reservation limit for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes and extremely backward castes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent.

While increasing the reservation will help Nitish pit caste identities to counter the BJP’s election planks of religion and ultra-nationalism, a campaign for special category status will channelise state-related identity and emotions.

“Bihar will become developed in just two years if it gets the special category status. The state had a glorious past, everything started from here, but it is lagging behind today. We will conduct a campaign to achieve the special category status,” Nitish said.

“Give special category status to Bihar. This will be the campaign. If you (the Centre) do not give it, it will mean that you do not want the state to develop,” Nitish added.

Speaking at a daylong orientation programme and distribution of the first instalment of grants under the Mukhyamantri Udyami Yojana (chief minister’s entrepreneurship scheme), Nitish asserted that he was among those who work for the people and will keep working.

Arguing for the special category status, the chief minister pointed out that the Centre heavily publicises when it comes up with any scheme but shares only 60 per cent amount of it, while the states have to provide the rest 40 per cent.

“This does not benefit the states in any manner. We are taking loans to work for the development of Bihar and making ends meet somehow,” he added.

Under special category status, the Centre pays 90 per cent of the ‘centrally-sponsored schemes’, and the unspent money at the end of a financial year is carried forward instead of lapsing.