New Delhi: Ahead of the parliament session commencing on Monday (July 22), three regional parties including an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have put forward their demands for a special category status for three states at the all-party meeting held on Sunday (July 21).
The BJP’s key ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Janata Dal (United) has demanded a special package for Bihar, while the BJP’s former allies in parliament – the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) raised the demand for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh respectively.
“This has been our demand since 2005. The 14th Finance Commission did not accept this. So we have been raising this demand continuously. All political parties BJP, RJD, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, Congress all have unanimously passed resolutions twice as well. We will be raising this demand at the stage of inner party discussions and if there is any other stage as well we will continue to do as we have in the past,” JD(U) political advisor and national spokesperson K.C. Tyagi told The Wire.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fell short of a majority on its own, winning 240 seats. It has had to rely on its NDA allies to form the government. Both the JD(U), which has 12 Lok Sabha seats, and the TDP, which has 16 seats, are crucial allies for the BJP-led NDA government.
Despite being in alliance with the BJP, JD(U) passed a resolution in its national executive meeting last month reiterating its longstanding demand of special status for Bihar as well as a special economic package for the state.
Last month, after announcing its support to the BJP, Tyagi had also said that while special status is a longstanding demand, it is not a precondition for the alliance.
“That Bihar should be given the status of a special category state has been the demand of our party (JDU) since the beginning. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has held big rallies for this demand. This is our demand but if technically the government feels that there is a problem in doing this, then we have demanded a special package for Bihar,” JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said.
While the special category status led the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to pull out of the NDA in 2018 in the wake of the Modi government’s refusal to grant it to Andhra Pradesh, the party has not yet made such a demand since being part of the present NDA government. Like the JD(U), the TDP also returned to the NDA fold just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
In a statement on X, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that a special package had been demanded by the JD(U) and the YSRCP but the BJP’s other key ally, TDP had kept quiet.
The YSRCP, which was voted out of power in the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections held in June, has earlier supported the BJP in parliament. However, it raises the demand for a special category for the state at the all-party meeting.
“TDP is not raising the issue of special category status. They have compromised with the issues of people with the BJP,” said YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy to reporters after the meeting.
“I would like to clarify that the YSRCP will only extend issue-based support, wherever country and state interest we will support, otherwise we will oppose.”
BJD, another BJP ally in parliament, has also made the demand for a special category status for Odisha. Though the BJD was not in a formal alliance with the BJP, it has supported the saffron party in key legislations in parliament. However, since the drubbing in the Odisha assembly elections, which voted out the Naveen Patnaik-led government after over two decades, and the formation of a BJP government in the state for the first time, the BJD has since announced that it will oppose the BJP. The party also walked out during the special session of parliament along with other members of the INDIA alliance.
“Odisha has been deprived of special category status for more than two decades. BJD has been consistently asking for the special category status for Odisha. In the all-party meeting, we also had representatives from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh asking for special category status for their respective states. We join issue with our counterparts from other states as well who feel similar need required for their respective states,” said BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra to reporters.
Congress raises demand for deputy speaker
The Congress at the all-party meeting raised the demand that the post of the deputy speaker be given to the opposition, sources in the party said to The Wire.
While BJP MP Om Birla, who presided over the unprecedented suspension of opposition MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha, returned to the post in the 18th Lok Sabha, the post for the Speaker saw an election for the first time in decades.
Congress legislator K. Suresh filed his nomination as the INDIA bloc candidate after negotiations for the post of the deputy speaker, between the government and the opposition, fell through.
The opposition’s insistence on the post of the deputy speaker comes after the 17th Lok Sabha, in a first, ended with the post remaining empty.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, also raised governance issues “relating to NEET/NET scams, UPSC controversies, worsening railway safety, Agniveer” at the all party-meeting, saying that they should be taken up in the Parliament.
The party has also demanded that the internal security situation in Jammu and Manipur be taken up along with “challenges on our borders with China” and environmental concerns including floods, deforestation, issues relating to centre-state relations and the economy. In a reference to the Uttar Pradesh government’s order to shops and eateries across the state to display names of their owners along the route of the Kanwar Yatra, the Congress has also sought to discuss “deliberate attempts at polarisation in states like UP by passing unconstitutional orders.”
Government seeks cooperation
The Budget session of the parliament will begin on Monday and end on August 12. Union minister for finance Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union budget on Tuesday (July 23).
During the meeting, Union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju sought active cooperation from all party leaders for smooth functioning of both houses of parliament and said that the government is ready to discuss all issues.
The all-party meeting of all floor leaders was chaired by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh. From the government’s side, the meeting was also attended by Union health minister and leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, J.P. Nadda, along with Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and L. Murugan.
