Bihar Special Category Status: Patna Congress workers were lathi-charged during a protest against the government's denial to grant the status of a 'Special Category State' to Bihar on Wednesday. The workers of the grand old party held a protest on Wednesday to corner the the Nitish Kumar-led JDU government in Bihar over denial of special status.
Besides lathi-charge, the Bihar Police also resorted to water cannons to disperse the workers and control the situation. Apart from the special status issue, the opposition members had also planned to target the government on bridge collapses, and the law and order situations among others, as reported by news agency IANS.
Special Category Status enables states to get funds from the Centre for their development projects. Eleven states with geographical and socioeconomic disadvantages were granted special status under the Planning Commission. However, after 2014, no state has been granted special status.
States with Special status often get up to 90% of funding from the Centre for their development projects.
On Tuesday, the opposition INDIA bloc leaders protested in the Assembly, accusing the Central government of neglecting the state. The protests led to the House proceedings being adjourned twice.
The Centre on Monday denied granting 'special status' to Bihar, which was demanded by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) in the all-party meeting. JDU MP Ramprit Mandal asked the Finance Ministry if the government has planned to provide special status to Bihar and other most backward states to promote economic growth and industrialisation.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Monsoon session, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said "case for Special Category Status for Bihar is not made out". Chaudhary said that the special category status was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some states which were characterised by a number of features necessitating special consideration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government cited an inter-ministerial group report prepared in 2012 to assert that a case for granting special category status to Bihar is not made out.
"The Special Category Status for plan assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some States that were characterized by a number of features necessitating special consideration. These features included (i) hilly and difficult terrain, (ii) low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population, (iii) strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, (iv) economic and infrastructural backwardness and (v) non-viable nature of State finances," the government's response said.
Ruckus In Bihar Assembly
On Wednesday, the Bihar assembly witnessed adjournment as opposition members stood in the well of the House, demanding that the state's amended reservation laws be put in the ninth schedule of the Constitution, as reported by news agency PTI. The opposition legislators did not relent despite repeated requests by Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav that they take their seats and words of admonition from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who stood up to intervene.
"It was at my instance that you all agreed to a caste survey after which quotas for SCs, STs, OBCs and the extremely backward classes were hiked," said Kumar, as quoted by PTI. He told the House that the Patna High Court has "set aside the reservation laws, we have moved the Supreme Court. A formal request has also been made to the Centre for putting these in the ninth schedule".
Notably, quotas for deprived castes were hiked to 65 per cent through the laws passed in November last year, which the Patna High Court quashed last month.
Placing the laws, which breach the 50 per cent cap on quotas set by the Supreme Court, in the ninth schedule would make these immune to judicial review. The opposition members, however, continued to relentlessly shout slogans, causing the septuagenarian chief minister to blow a fuse.
Waving his fingers at one of the legislators, he screamed, "You are a lady. Do you realise that it was only after I assumed power that women started getting their due in Bihar?". Perturbed by the shouts of "Nitish Kumar Hai! Hai! (down down with Nitish Kumar), he hit back "sabka Hai! Hai!".