Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for acknowledging him as a true socialist leader.

“I treat whole of Bihar as my family. But some people, who rose in politics through their socialist identity, are now focused on their family at the expense of committed workers in defiance of the principles of socialism,” Kumar said while speaking to reporters after his weekly Janata Darbar (CM in people’s court), which resumed after a month-long suspension due to the Covid-19 surge.

In a recent TV interview, Modi had said late Ram Manohar Lohia and George Fernandes, besides “our ally Nitish babu,” stood out as “samajwadis” who did not succumb to the lure of setting up their own political dynasties.

Kumar said the PM had rightly stated that the socialism ceases to exist when a leader, who grew in stature for his socialist pursuits, begins handing over everything to his wife or son having little exposure to the ideology, an apparent allusion to his arch rival Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The CM played down the raging controversy over wearing of Hijab, saying there was hardly anything in it to make an issue about. “The government had been asking everyone to wear mask. “ut what if someone also covers his/her forehead? What is there to debate about,” he said.

Reiterating his demand for special status for Bihar, Kumar said the state made remarkable progress in many areas since he took over as the CM in 2005. “However, Niti Aayog’s report that ranked Bihar lowly underlined the need for special incentive from the Centre to bring about significant change. Per capita income of Bihar has shot past ₹50,000, which is, however, very low as compared to national average of ₹1.25 lakh,” said the CM.

About the vexed issue of caste census, Kumar said the central government had already been requested to reconsider the demand for it, which would help the state plan its strategies for holistic growth of every segment of the society. “We have also decided to hold an all-party meeting to discuss the next course of action to be taken by the state government in case of the state’s demand for caste-wise enumeration of people is completely ruled out by the Centre,” he added.