From the DeskJanata Dal (Joined together), a key NDA partner with 12 Lok Sabha MPs, has been requesting exceptional status to Bihar. The Narendra Modi-drove NDA government on Monday said that the extraordinary status to Bihar can’t be conceded according to the Between Pastoral Gathering (IMG) report 2012, managing a major disaster for Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (U) which is a vital partner of the BJP. “The Special Category Status for plan assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some States that were characterised by a number of features necessitating special consideration,” Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated in a written response to Jhanjharpur Lok Sabha MP Ramprit Mandal.
These characteristics included (i) hilly and challenging terrain, (ii) a low population density and/or a significant percentage of tribal people, (iii) a strategic location along borders with neighboring nations, (iv) economic and infrastructure backwardness, and (v) non-viable state finances.
The state’s unique circumstance and all of the aforementioned factors were taken into account when making the decision. An Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) previously considered Bihar’s request for Special Category Status and submitted its report on March 30, 2012. The minister continued, “The IMG came to the conclusion that the case for Special Category Status for Bihar is not made out based on the existing NDC criteria.”
The JD(U) which has been requesting an extraordinary status to Bihar for quite a while, had emphasized its interest during the all-party meeting on Sunday in front of the Parliament meeting. The BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, less than the 272 needed for a majority. It depends on the support of the JD(U) and the Telugu Desam Party, which together hold 28 seats in the lower house. In addition to the JD(U), the TDP, led by Chandrababu Naidu, has called for a special status for Andhra Pradesh, which was split in two in 2014 and made into the new state of Telangana.
Inika Manohar
