Patna, Jul 13 (IANS): A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Patna, the demand for special status for Bihar again surfaced here on Wednesday.

For the last few days RJD leaders had been requesting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to raise the demand for special status for Bihar before PM Modi. They were expecting the Prime Minister to say something on it but he did not say anything.

Now, Sharawan Kumar, the rural development minister of Bihar, has demanded special status from the Centre.

"Special status is our long standing demand and was passed in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha as well. The Centre should think about it," Kumar said.

Earlier Mritunjay Tiwari, national spokesperson of the RJD, said that Nitish Kumar should demand special status for Bihar from Modi. He stated: "We were expecting from the PM that he may announce the same during the inauguration of Bihar Bhavan Memorial Column but he did not do that."

Kumar also supported the demand of Tejashwi Yadav to give Bharat Ratna to Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur.

"Karpoori Thakur was an angel for the poor. He always worked for the poor people of the state. The Centre should give him the Bharat Ratna," Kumar said.