Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to the people of Bihar on the occasion of Bihar Diwas on Thursday.
Wishing the people of India’s third most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the PM acknowledged the Bihar’s contribution to India’s glorious history.
“Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Bihar on Bihar Diwas. Right from historical times, Bihar’s contribution towards the nation’s progress is exemplary and invaluable,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
बिहार दिवस के अवसर पर बिहार की बहनों और भाइयों को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।
Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Bihar on Bihar Diwas. Right from historical times, Bihar’s contribution towards the nation’s progress is exemplary and invaluable.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2018
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party, Janata Dal (United), is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and the state, thanked the PM for his wishes.
बिहार दिवस के अवसर पर बिहारवासियों को शुभकामनाएं देने हेतु माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी को धन्यवाद। @narendramodi https://t.co/ZWfvUwTJSB
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) March 22, 2018
He, too, greeted the people on the occasion with a tweet:
बिहार दिवस के अवसर पर सभी को हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं। #BiharDiwas pic.twitter.com/7z8WcHAqka
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) March 22, 2018
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi was among those who expressed their wishes for the people on the occasion.
बिहार दिवस के अवसर पर आप सभी को हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं। गर्व से कहो हम बिहारी है।#BiharDiwas pic.twitter.com/GaL2yqrSg5
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 22, 2018
Bihar Diwas is marked on 22 March on the occasion of the state’s formation. The state was part of the Bengal Presidency until 2012 when it was carved out along with Odisha as a separate province during the British rule. On 15 November 2000, Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar reducing the state’s size.
The state began celebrating Bihar Diwas only in 2010.