All-Party Meet: Demands for Special Status for Bihar, Andhra, Odisha Raised, Opposition for Scrapping UP Order to Display Names

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, July 21: The pre-budget session all party meeting on Sunday for the first time gave the ruling BJP a taste of a stronger opposition and the problems of coalition politics where the government has to depend on allies for survival and stand up to their divergent demands.

The all-party meeting on Sunday on the eve of the budget session of Parliament starting from Monday was convened by the BJP-led NDA government in which the resurgent opposition demanded the government adopt “a new approach” in both Houses in view of the change in the political composition after the Lok Sabha elections and its current and erstwhile allies raising demands for special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with higher allocation of funds for development.

At the all-party meeting on Sunday, the Opposition leaders were united in raising their concerns over the ADG, Meerut Zone’s contentious directive asking the eateries and carts on the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and employees, ostensibly clarifying their religion. They asked the Centre to intervene, calling the directive “divisive.”

The Centre convened the all-party meeting ahead of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session and leaders from various political parties, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, attended the meeting. Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi, Jairam Ramesh and K. Suresh, Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM, RJD’s Abhay Kushwaha, JD(U)‘s Sanjay Jha, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav and NCP’s Praful Patel were also present at the meet.

55 leaders from 44 parties attended all-party meeting, useful discussion took place, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said after the meet. Running the Parliament smoothly is the collective responsibility of the government and the opposition, he added.

Ahead of the Parliament session, leaders of the JD(U), RJD, YSRCP and BJD have demanded that the Centre special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively. While the JD(U) and the YSRCP, known as one of the BJP’s friendly parties, raised their demand for a Special Category Status (SCS) for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh respectively, the BJD, the Modi dispensation’s erstwhile friendly party, also reminded the BJP about its pledge of the SCS for Odisha ahead of the 2014 elections.

BJD leader Sasmit Patra told reporters that his party demanded also special category status for Odisha. “The time has come to revisit the government’s position on special category status. BJD, RJD, JD(U), LJP (R) and YSRCP all asked for special category status for their respective States,” he said.

Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said in the all-party meeting ahead of parliament’s budget session, demands for special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh were raised but the BJP ally Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, he added, had remained silent.

“In today’s all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD(U) leader demanded special category status of Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter,” read his post on X.

“How the political climate has changed! In the all-party meeting of floor leaders the BJD leader reminded the Defence Minister and BJP President JP Nadda that the BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 assembly elections in Odisha had promised special category status to the state,” read another post. Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal, which earlier supported the government in Rajya Sabha over multiple issues, has now pitted itself firmly against the BJP. The change of stance came after it was routed by the BJP in the recent assembly election in the state and lost power after 24 years.

The BJP’s Amit Malviya responded with a jab. “There is a certain propriety and protocol one associates with these all party meetings. 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,” his post read.

The government on its turn urged the Opposition to cooperate and ensure smooth conduct of proceedings, underscoring that disruptions in both Houses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the previous session did not measure up to parliamentary traditions. Finance The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present budget on Tuesday and the economic survey on Monday, the first day of the budget session.

The session will have 19 sittings till August 12 when the government is expected to present six bills, including the one to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, and also get Parliament’s nod for the budget of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under central rule.

Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said in his remarks that the government should offer the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition. He also said the Standing Committees should be constituted immediately in which the Opposition parties should be given adequate representation including the posts of their chairpersons.

The AAP’s Sanjay Singh raised the issue of the Centre allegedly misusing the central agencies against the Opposition leaders. The DMK’s T R Baalu expressed concerns over the Opposition-ruled states not being given central funds in time. The JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha wanted the government to respond promptly to the issues raised by the members during the Zero Hour.

During the meeting many floor leaders were of the view that the Central Hall in the old Parliament House building should be reopened. “In the all-party meeting of floor leaders the universal demand has been that Central Hall should once again be opened up for MPs to mingle with each other and improve communications across the parties. The historic Central Hall has sadly fallen into disuse after the opening of the new building of Parliament,” Ramesh said in another X post.