The Bihar assembly was adjourned till noon on Tuesday after leaders of opposition parties protested against the Centre’s refusal to grant special status to the state.
The ruling NDA in Bihar is facing severe protests from the opposition Mahagathbandhan over the demand for the special status category for the state. The Bihar Assembly’s monsoon session will likely face the heat of the political slugfest over the demand for Bihar’s special status category.
Bihar Monsoon session
Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav administered the oath of office to Independent MLA Shankar Singh on Monday, July 22. On the first day of the monsoon session, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, tabled the first supplementary budget for the current financial year.
Leaders of RJD, Congress and the Left were spotted reaching the House, carrying placards with slogans like “shame on anti-Bihar BJP”. A few leaders held rattles, which is meant for children to highlight how Centre is trying to dodge the demand of special status category for Bihar by offering “jhunjhuna” by speaking of special package and other types of help.
The constant protest by the assembly members led to chaos during the session. Opposition parties leaders were repeatedly asked by Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav to take their seats, who noted with distress that school children had come to watch the proceedings and the commotion was leaving an unfavourable impression on their minds.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary concurred, daring opposition members to raise the issue “from their seats and listen to the government’s response”.
Chaudhary, who belongs to the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also alleged that it was the Congress-led UPA, of which RJD was a part, had “for the first time turned down the demand for special status”.
Political slugfest over demand for Special status for Bihar
Few days ago, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had demanded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s resignation for failing to bring Bihar under the Special Category Status. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s remark received significant criticism from leaders of the BJP.
Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh reacted to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s comments and questions why didn’t he pursue Special Category Status for the state when his party was in power.
“The government has not dismissed the request. Lalu Prasad Yadav needs to understand… When he was allying with the Congress and had turned kingmaker and a law existed which could give a special status to Bihar, why did he not try to bring Bihar under the Special Category Status… PM Narendra Modi allotted ₹1.25 lakh crore package for the state and spent ₹2 lakh crore on top of it. Purvanchal cannot progress without a developed Bihar,” he told ANI.