Piyush Goyal withdraws Bihar comment after RJD claims 'insult of entire country'

Union minister Piyush Goyal on 22 December 2022 withdrew a statement on Bihar that he had made two days earlier.

Goyal said that he had no intention of insulting Bihar or the state's people, and was "immediately" withdrawing the remark.

On 20 December, while responding to RJD leader Manoj Jha in the Rajya Sabha, the Union minister had said that if it is left to the RJD, then they would turn the entire country into Bihar.

Goyal made the remark when Jha was speaking during a discussion on the Appropriation Bill seeking Parliament's nod for additional spending.

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As he said the government should devote equal attention to the poor and corporate houses, Goyal responded by saying "inka bas chale to desh ko Bihar bana dein (if they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar)." On Thursday, Jha said an insult to Bihar is an insult to the entire country, and demanded Goyal apologise for his remark.

Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too joined Jha in demanding an apology from Goyal.

(With PTI inputs)