RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha on Wednesday shot off a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, drawing his attention to what he called a “demeaning” remark about Bihar made by Union minister and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal in the House. He demanded an apology from Goyal and urged the Chairman to expunge the remarks.
Goyal’s remark came on Tuesday when Jha was speaking on the discussion on the Appropriation Bill. “I was making a point that the government should devote equal attention to the poor and the corporate houses. And then suddenly Goyal said inka bas chale toh desh ko Bihar hi bana de (if they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar),” Jha said.
In his letter, Jha said, “One would have thought it impossible that a member of the rank of the Leader of this esteemed House would make a statement demeaning one of the greatest states of the Union of India. As the Leader of the House of Rajya Sabha… Goyal should ponder and reflect on whether the sneering tone with which he speaks about Bihar is appropriate.”
“Is the statement made by Goyal also representative of the contemptuous and condescending attitude of the Government of India towards Bihar? Because it is deeply problematic if the government singles out one state and terms it a failure,” the letter said.
He said Goyal’s statement on Bihar “smacked of elitism and was completely uncalled for”.
“Therefore, I demand that Goyal should immediately make an apology to all the people of Bihar. I also request you to expunge his statement and take the necessary steps so that no other state in the country is subjected to such treatment by the union government,” he said.
