Not only opposition, NDA partners also push for demands at AIPPM ahead of budget session | India News
NEW DELHI: On the eve of the first budget session in the 18th Lok Sabha, it was not just the opposition parties, but NDA partners of the ruling BJP, that put forward their respective demands at the all party meeting on Thursday.
If BJP ally JD(U), asked the government to go slow on its One-Nation One-Election legislation, LJP demanded a “special industrial package” for Bihar, which goes in for assembly elections later this year.
BJP’s southern ally from Andhra Pradesh, TDP, along with JD(U) and LJP demanded that their parties be allotted enough time to speak on issues in Parliament, which they have so far not been getting. All the three parties also asked for their seating arrangements in the House to be resolved, as the seats they have been allotted are scattered across the House. Allies need to sit in a bloc, to be able to make an impact with their moves on the floor of the House.
In fact, one of the opposition members present at the meeting, took a dig at the NDA allies saying the issues they were raising at the all party meeting should be raised at the NDA’s internal meeting and sorted out among the ruling alliance partners.
JD(U) member Sanjay Jha sought an extension in the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the bills proposing simultaneous elections, which was asked to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the Budget Session, according to sources. The party said it sought the extension as the committee has met only once and that such an important piece of legislation will require wide consultation. The JD(U) MP also asked for a discussion on India’s current position in Artificial Intelligence as he pointed out the waves that the Chinese upstart DeepSeek has created in the field, so far dominated by US firms.
At the meeting LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti highlighted the huge gap between Bihar’s per capita income with the national average, pitching for a special industrial package for the state. He told reporters later that his party had sought the Centre’s financial assistance for Bihar to increase the size of its economy. Another issue he raised was the “piling up” of vacancies in reserved category jobs for the reason of “not fit for selection” (NFS). The government should bring a law to fill up the vacancies in a time-bound manner, Bharti added.
Apart from the stampede deaths at the Kumbh Mela that all the Opposition parties want a discussion on, the opposition parties have asked for discussions on price rise, unemployment, farmers’ distress, with Trinamool Congress, DMK, CPM, demanding discussions on federal structure being disregarded, non-BJP ruled states being denied funds, UGC guidelines issue where vice chancellor for universities are being appointed without the state’s consent, etc. TMC and other parties have demanded a statement on the situation in Bangladesh from either Prime Minister Modi or from the external affairs minister.
AAP has demanded MPLADS funds to be increased. BJD has asked for funds for Odisha.