New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday faced criticism from the BJP and its ally JD(U) for "live-tweeting" some of the issues raised by different parties at an all-party meeting, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju calling for respecting parliamentary traditions.
Ramesh, who attended the meeting, posted on X while the deliberations were on, "In today's all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD(U) leader demanded special category status for Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter."
His post was the first comment from any leader attending the meeting about the issues being raised ahead of the start of Parliament's Budget session.
JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who represented his party in the meeting, noted later without naming Ramesh that a senior Congress leader was posting "live updates" while he highlighted his party's position on issues of Bihar.
"I wish this senior Congress leader had respected the sanctity of the Parliamentary proceedings," he said. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera took a swipe at Jha, saying, "Jha Sahib, there's a difference between an All Party meeting and 'Parliamentary Proceedings'."
Quoting the JD(U) MP, Rijiju said, "This is unfortunate... Everyone must maintain the sanctity, propriety and protocol of Parliamentary traditions." Khera also fired a salvo at Rijiju for the minister's call for maintaining sanctity and parliamentary traditions.
Quoting Rijiju's post, the Congress spokesperson said sarcastically, "Like the sanctity, propriety and protocol were maintained by leaking Mr @RahulGandhi's videos from Parliament."
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya, who first joined the issue with Ramesh, said the opposition party should consider sending a "more seasoned hand" next time. There is a certain propriety and protocol one associates with these all-party meetings, he said.
He added, "There is free and frank exchange of ideas followed by media briefing. But a look at Jairam Ramesh's timeline and it appears he was live tweeting the proceedings. Next time, the Congress should consider sending a more seasoned hand for these meetings."
Ramesh's post had a political angle as he highlighted the demands of the two regional parties -- JD(U) is a BJP ally as well -- which is a tricky issue for the central government. Officials have argued that Finance Commission's recommendation accepted by the government preclude such a possibility.
The Congress leader also took a dig at the TDP, another BJP ally. He made at least three more posts on X while the meeting continued. Meanwhile, an opposition leader said what Ramesh did might be unconventional but there appears to be nothing wrong in it as many members attending the meeting often go out and highlight certain issues before media.
