New Delhi: Opposition parties today created uproar in Rajya Sabha demanding special economic package for seven most backward states including Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, leading to adjournment of the House till noon.
Raising the issue, Kiranmay Nanda (SP) said the Central government has failed to provide financial package to the seven most backward states identified in the Raghuram Rajan report.
The Rajan panel had in September last year recommended a new index of backwardness to determine which states need special assistance.
The new methodology ranked Odisha as India's most backward state.
Bihar, which has been seeking special status, was ranked the second most backward state. Other states listed in the category for whom it recommended allocation of majority of Central fund, included Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Nanda wanted the government to act on the recommendation of the Rajan panel report and announce special economic package for the most backward states.
Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had on a visit to Patna assured Bihar of special assistance but the same has not rpt not come. He charged the Centre with discriminating against Bihar and other backward states.
Mayawati (BSP) said she was hoping the Prime Minister will announce a package for seven most backward states along with package for Seemandhra.
"State creation does not help unless special package is given," she said citing poor growth rate in recently created states of Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.
She alleged that the Centre was politicising the issue and ignoring Uttar Pradesh as neither Congress nor BJP was in power in the state.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said West Bengal is saddled with over Rs 2 lakh crore of debt his party inherited from the previous regimes. The Centre had promised that it will consider moratorium on repayment of interest on the state debt but it has not been implemented because of political vendetta, he alleged.
Tapan Kumar Sen (CPM) said the government must respond immediately to needs of the backward states identified by the Raghuram Rajan panel. The special package 'should not be tied up with any condition', he said.
Vasudevan Maitreyan (AIADMK) said the Centre was politicising allocation of funds to states and has meted out step-motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu.
N.K. Singh (JDU) said it was a matter of disappointment that the Prime Minister yesterday chose not to respond to the demands for special package for backward states. At this, Samajwadi Party members started raising slogans demanding special package for Uttar Pradesh.
Chairman Hamid Ansari remarked that the Question Hour has been converted into 'Grievance Hour' and asked members to take up Question Hour.
Soon BSP members too joined the slogan shouting as they moved into the aisles. TMC and JD-U members too were on their feet demanding packages for West Bengal and Bihar.
Ansari asked members not to come to the Well. Though members did not move into the Well, the slogan shouting continued, forcing him to adjourn the House till noon.
Earlier, the House mourned the death of former member Parvathi Krishnan on February 20 at the age of 94 years. A trade union worker, Krishnan represented the state of Madras (now Tamil Nadu) in the Upper House from April 1954 to March 1957.
Next: Oppn demands special status for six states in LS too
Oppn demands special status for six states in LS too
New Delhi: With general elections due in two months, Lok Sabha saw on its last day today members raising demands for special status to six backward states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, BJP and JD(U), which parted ways a few months back, were united in demanding special status for Bihar, as recommended by the Raghuram Rajan Committee, saying the UPA government has 'failed' to provide justice to the state despite its overall backwardness.
The issue was raised during Zero Hour by BJP member Uday Singh who said UPA government was discriminating against Bihar and it should provide special status to the state.
"Before the tenure of UPA government comes to an end, it must accord special status to Bihar," he said.
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha alleged that the Central government has been sitting over the report of the Raghuram Rajan Committee instead of taking action on it.
He asked why cannot the Centre accord special status to the six states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as recommended by the Raghuram Rajan Committee. However, RJD members Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Prabhunath Singh tried to disrupt Sinha's speech by saying that when NDA was in power, they did not do anything for Bihar.
Shailendra Kumar (SP) demanded a special financial package of Rs 80,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh.
Participating in the debate, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said grave injustice has been meted out to Bihar by the Central government by not granting special status to it.
"When injustice keeps happening, the country becomes weak and finally it leads to its disintegration," he said.
Lauding the government for according special status to Seemandhra following bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Yadav said condition of Bihar has become worse after the creation of Jharkhand, but no special assistance was given to the state.
Despite the Raghuram Rajan Committee's recommendation, government has not granted the special status to Bihar even though it is backward in respect of education, industry, trade and overall growth.
Soon, BJP members, led by Shahnawaz Hussain stood in the aisle and demanded an assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was not present in the House, on the issue.
Only two Cabinet Ministers - Farooq Abdullah and Oscar Fernandes - were present in the House but they did not say anything.
DMK leader T.R. Baalu demanded that India must move the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution to condemn the alleged human rights violation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
He claimed that Indian government has been silent over the alleged human rights violation of Sri Lankan Tamils.
