NEW DELHI: Days before the Union Budget is placed in Parliament, major pressure from NDA partners JDU and TDP seems to have eased as both did not press for ‘special category’ status for Bihar and Andhra at Sunday’s all-party meeting and instead suggested that there could be special packages to meet specific requirements.
While JDU working president Sanjay Jha flagged the issue of special category, a demand backed by RJD and Chirag Paswan, he also appeared to appreciate that it may be tough to implement it due to “technical reasons” and focused on provision in the Budget for ‘vishesh sahayata’ or special assistance, focused on areas such as flood control, where the state spends thousands of crores.Party sources also indicated that JDU has realised that it was not possible to meet the demands in this Budget itself.
Similarly, TDP again raised the issue of assistance for Amaravati and projects such as Polavaram, while steering clear of specific reference to a special package. Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu has submitted a list of projects, including an oil refinery, on which it wants Centre’s announcements, with some of them sought in the Budget.
As reported by TOI on July 15, JDU has flagged flood control as a priority issue given that it involves water flowing from Nepal, which cannot be dealt with at the state level. On Sunday, Jha highlighted how Bihar CM has repeatedly flagged the demand for special status but provided greater leeway to Union FM Nirmala Sitharman who will present the Budget on Tuesday in allocating funds for infrastructure and specific projects in the state.
After the meeting, TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said party lawmakers have sought more time during the Budget session that starts on Monday to highlight the issues on which white papers have been released.
While the Centre has repeatedly said that a special category status cannot be accorded now, given the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, the demand has not gone away with BJD demanding the tag for Odisha pointing that BJP had promised it as part of its 2014 poll campaign. Odisha is now among the better performers on fiscal parameters.
Special category status, which was originally designed for hilly and border states, ensured that the Centre provided additional funds.
While Andhra has a weak fiscal position, Naidu and his team have realised that it will be more prudent to focus on getting their specific demands addressed. TDP’s rival YSR Congress, however, demanded the status for the state, something that Jairam Ramesh of Congress, which has been encouraging TDP to up the ante on the demand for special category tag, highlighted.
“In today’s all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, the JDU functionary demanded special status of Bihar. The YSRCP member demanded special status for Andhra. Strangely, the TDP member kept quiet on the matter,” he tweeted.
While JDU working president Sanjay Jha flagged the issue of special category, a demand backed by RJD and Chirag Paswan, he also appeared to appreciate that it may be tough to implement it due to “technical reasons” and focused on provision in the Budget for ‘vishesh sahayata’ or special assistance, focused on areas such as flood control, where the state spends thousands of crores.Party sources also indicated that JDU has realised that it was not possible to meet the demands in this Budget itself.
Similarly, TDP again raised the issue of assistance for Amaravati and projects such as Polavaram, while steering clear of specific reference to a special package. Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu has submitted a list of projects, including an oil refinery, on which it wants Centre’s announcements, with some of them sought in the Budget.
As reported by TOI on July 15, JDU has flagged flood control as a priority issue given that it involves water flowing from Nepal, which cannot be dealt with at the state level. On Sunday, Jha highlighted how Bihar CM has repeatedly flagged the demand for special status but provided greater leeway to Union FM Nirmala Sitharman who will present the Budget on Tuesday in allocating funds for infrastructure and specific projects in the state.
After the meeting, TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said party lawmakers have sought more time during the Budget session that starts on Monday to highlight the issues on which white papers have been released.
While the Centre has repeatedly said that a special category status cannot be accorded now, given the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, the demand has not gone away with BJD demanding the tag for Odisha pointing that BJP had promised it as part of its 2014 poll campaign. Odisha is now among the better performers on fiscal parameters.
Special category status, which was originally designed for hilly and border states, ensured that the Centre provided additional funds.
While Andhra has a weak fiscal position, Naidu and his team have realised that it will be more prudent to focus on getting their specific demands addressed. TDP’s rival YSR Congress, however, demanded the status for the state, something that Jairam Ramesh of Congress, which has been encouraging TDP to up the ante on the demand for special category tag, highlighted.
“In today’s all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, the JDU functionary demanded special status of Bihar. The YSRCP member demanded special status for Andhra. Strangely, the TDP member kept quiet on the matter,” he tweeted.