Bihar special status, NEET controversy, and more: Opposition's demands in pre-Budget Session

First Published Jul 21, 2024, 3:32 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 21, 2024, 3:35 PM IST

The central government is all set for a potentially turbulent Parliament session starting on July 22. On Sunday, an all-party meeting was held whith Opposition parties raising several contentious issues, including special status for Bihar, the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, and the Kanwar order. In the pre-Budget Session meeting, Congress demanded the deputy speaker's post for the Opposition.

MP Gaurav Gogoi discussed the NEET-UG controversy and the alleged misuse of agencies like the ED and CBI. Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav addressed the Uttar Pradesh government's directive for eateries along the Kanwariya route to display the owners' names. The YSR Congress discussed the TDP government's purported targeting of its leaders in Andhra Pradesh and requested intervention from the Centre.

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Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the JD(U) and the YSRCP requested special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, during the all-party meeting. However, he found it "strange" that the TDP remained silent on the issue.

"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," Ramesh wrote on X.

BJP president JP Nadda, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju attended the meeting. Other leaders present included Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and K Suresh, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, RJD's Abhay Kushwaha, JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha, AAP's Sanjay Singh, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, and NCP's Praful Patel.

"On behalf of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), we have placed several demands in the all-party meeting. Odisha has been deprived of the special category status for more than two decades," said BJD MP Dr. Sasmit Patra after the meeting. "Political parties from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have also demanded special category status for their respective states. BJD has demanded special category status for Odisha."

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"The second issue is the non-revision of coal royalty for the state of Odisha. We raised the issue about the declining central transfer of funds and the need to work towards it. No action has been taken against the Governor of Odisha's son who had beaten a Raj Bhawan staffer is extremely shocking," Patra added.

"These are formalities, such meetings are called before every session. All parties have given their suggestions on the budget session. Many parties have raised the issues of their respective states. What I have suggested is that the session should run smoothly without any interruptions, which has become a tradition now to interrupt and create chaos. All the matters should be discussed and debated, but peacefully," NCP leader Praful Patel said.

The session begins on Monday and will have 19 sittings till August 12. The government is expected to present six bills, including 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. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also table the Economic Survey in Parliament on Monday.

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