Narendra Modi likely to push development agenda during Bihar visit on Saturday

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stones of four water treatment plants in Patna and a six-lane bridge, parallel to existing one between Mokamah and Begusrai, on river Ganga during his visit on 14 October.[caption id=“attachment_3958193” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. PTI[/caption] The prime minister will also participate in the centenary celebration of Patna University where he will share the dais with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar among other alumni including Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Upendra Kushwaha, JP Nadda, Ashwini Choubey, Ram Vilas Paswan, Prakash Javadekar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. The prime minister’s visit has gained political significance for two reasons. He is coming to Bihar for the first time after Nitish’s return to NDA fold and the occasion will also mark the presence of Lalu Prasad Yadav who started his political career as students’ union leader of the university among others. However, BJP leaders are trying to divert political attention being attached to his visit and trying to connect Modi’s visit with his increasing focus on development. Senior party leader and state’s Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav told CNN-News18 that the prime minister has always been kind to the state and even when his party was not in the power the state got maximum possible assistance from the Union government. “The prime minister will lay foundation stones of four road and bridge projects. It includes six-lane bridge on river Ganga, Mokama-Bakthiyarpur four-lane road, the four-lane bridge on river Koshi between Birpur and Bihpur section in Supaul, two-lane road between Maheshkut and Purnia and four sewage treatment plants (STP) in Patna,” he said. The STPs of a total capacity of 140 million litres daily (MLD) are estimated to cost Rs 738.14 crore. Nand Kishore Yadav told that out of Rs 1.25 lakh crore of the package announced by the prime minister, around Rs 55 crore are for road and rail projects. There is no shortage of money, he claimed there will be 16 bridges on river Ganga in the next five years which was only four till a few years ago. However, all eyes are on Nitish whose party and he himself has been demanding special status for the state. The chief minister, a few days ago, argued that Bihar was a landlocked state which prevents it from being a favourite destination for private investors thus the state requires special attention.