Patna, April 7 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has praised senior BJP leader and MLC Shahnawaz Hussain during the inauguration of an ethanol plant in Muzaffarpur. While addressing a gathering during the inauguration on Thursday, Kumar said that he is happy that Hussain came for this event. Such a statement by the Bihar Chief Minister has come at a time when political barbs were underway between the JD-U and BJP in Bihar. "It is great courage shown by him to attend the event of the state government. It is a big thing. At present, none of the BJP leaders would dare to do this and attend a programme of the Bihar government. I am very pleased to see him here. He is my old friend and also shared the cabinet in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government," Kumar said. "We are making efforts to establish industries in Bihar. We have also demanded a grant from the Centre for the production of ethanol. I want to ask him to convey our demand to the Centre. If the Centre would give us any grant, it would be a great help for Bihar and if it would not do the same, our government is doing it as per our capacity," the Chief Minister added. "If the Centre would help us in the ethanol sector, I will give full credit to him (Shahnawaz Hussain). I don't understand why his party is not promoting him and not giving him space in the Central cabinet," Kumar said. The Chief Minister along with his cabinet Ministers visited Muzaffarpur's Motipur Industrial Area and inaugurated the ethanol plant on Thursday. When Hussain was the Industry Minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet during the NDA government, he made great efforts to bring industries in Bihar, Kumar added. Due to hard work of Hussain, ethanol plant, Pepsi bottling plant and many other industries came to Bihar. /IANS