New Delhi: Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, the JD(U), YSRCP and BJD on Sunday demanded special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively, while the Congress's Jairam Ramesh said "strangely, the TDP kept quiet on the matter".
The demand for special category status for Bihar during an all-party meeting came from the ruling NDA as well as the INDIA opposition bloc, with BJP allies -- Sanjay Kumar Jha of the Janata Dal (United) and Union minister Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) -- also batting for it. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also joined the chorus.
Jha, however, said a special financial package can also be an option if a special status is not possible. Ramesh said the JD(U) and the YSRCP demanded special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh respectively but "strangely", the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the southern state kept quiet on the matter.
In a post on X, the Congress leader, who was present at the meeting, said, "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."
In another post on the microblogging platform, he said, "How the political climate has changed! In the all-party meeting of floor leaders, the BJD leader reminded the Defence Minister and BJP president J P Nadda that the BJP's manifesto for the 2014 Assembly elections in Odisha had promised special category status to the state."
Ramesh's posts on X came while the meeting was still underway. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Sasmit Patra told reporters that his party demanded special category status for Odisha.
"Odisha has been deprived of the special category status for more than two decades. The BJD has been demanding it for a long time. Parties from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have also demanded it and the Centre must revisit the issue with such demands coming from various states," he said.
JD(U), a key constituent in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has recently passed a resolution demanding special category status or a special package for Bihar. Though leaders from Andhra Pradesh had been demanding special category status for the southern state, the demand has again gained momentum after the Lok Sabha polls.
Briefing reporters on the issues raised by the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) at the all-party meeting, its floor leader in the Rajya Sabha, Vijaisai Reddy, said eight issues were brought up by his party, with the first one being that of the special category status.
"It has been our demand right from the day it was promised by then prime minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Rajya Sabha. Even today, we demand that the special category status is the only solution. The TDP is completely ignoring the issue.... They are compromising on the interests of the people of the state," Reddy said.
Asked about the YSRCP's allegation that it is ignoring the special category status issue and compromising on people's interest, TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said after the meeting, "We are clear, we are not stuck with one or two issues, we have an entire gamut of issues. We will definitely use this opportunity of the coming Budget session to raise all the issues important for Andhra Pradesh."
"The Andhra Pradesh government is going to release a white paper on the status of the state's finances in a day or two. We want the people of India to have a look at it. It will definitely send shockwaves among the people," he said. "We want the members to examine the financial status of Andhra Pradesh, which has been deteriorating day by day, so that whatever demands we are going to make, we want all parties to accept them," Devarayalu told reporters.
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