Union Minister Ram Chandra Pratap Singh, considered close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said Odisha is the “number one contender” for the special status — an opinion completely different from his party colleague’s long-standing special status demand for the eastern state.
“As per the index of , Odisha is on the bottom. Hence, Odisha is the primary candidate for special status than Bihar,” the Union Steel Minister said while interacting with the media persons.
In the latest Niti Aayog report, Bihar fared poorly on the majority of parameters like Education, Health, road Infrastructure etc. Following that report, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanded special status for Bihar.